Protecting Your Baby from Mosquitoes and Dengue

Pakistan actually faces two mosquito problems, and they behave differently. Knowing which is which tells you how to protect your baby around the clock.

Two seasons, two mosquitoes

• Dengue is carried by the Aedes mosquito, which bites in the daytime — most around dawn and dusk. It breeds in clean standing water and surges after the monsoon rains, roughly July through November, in and around our cities.
• Malaria and some other fevers come from mosquitoes that bite mainly at night, and are more of a concern in rural areas and after floods.

Between them, your baby needs protection both day and night — a common surprise for parents who assume a mosquito net is only for bedtime.

Empty the water — your strongest move

Aedes mosquitoes breed in surprisingly little clean water close to home. Once a week, tip out, scrub and cover:

• Room-cooler trays and tanks — the classic dengue nursery
• Flower pots and their saucers, and the money-plant bottle on the sill
• Buckets, drums and stored-water containers — keep them covered
• Discarded tyres, tins, broken pots and bottle caps in the yard
• Blocked roof drains and puddles after rain

If every home on the street does this, the whole mohalla gets safer.

Physical barriers come first for babies

Baby skin is delicate, so lean on barriers before chemicals:

• Drape a fine mosquito net over the cot, pram and daytime naps — not only at night.
• Fit mesh screens on windows and doors, and use a bed net (an insecticide-treated one is ideal) after dark.
• Dress your baby in loose, light, long sleeves and trousers at peak biting times.
• Repair torn screens and keep doors shut at dusk.

Repellents and age — go carefully

• Insect repellents such as DEET are not recommended under 2 months at all, and should be used sparingly and per the label on older babies — on clothing or your own hands rather than slathered on baby skin, and never where they'll lick it off.
• Skip repellent wristbands and untested "herbal" sprays as your main defence; the net is more reliable.
• Mosquito coils and mats give off smoke that isn't kind to little lungs — if you use them, ventilate the room and keep the baby well away.

Watch for dengue

During dengue season, treat a high fever seriously and look for warning signs: severe tummy pain, repeated vomiting, bleeding from the gums or nose, blood spots on the skin, cold clammy skin, or a limp, drowsy baby. Keep fluids up, and avoid aspirin and ibuprofen if dengue is suspected, as they can worsen bleeding.

Any high fever during dengue season deserves a doctor's eye — all the more so if your child seems unusually drowsy or won't take fluids.