Dengue And Poverty According to at least one GP in Sri Lanka, the likelihood of acquiring dengue fe ver are much

higher if you are poor than if you even have some money. Whilst it is true that mosquitoes breed in stagnant water and that vessels containing stag nant water are as common in a rich man's garden as a poorer one's, it is still m ore likely that the poor man and his family will be given dengue fever. Dengue fever is endemic in Sri Lanka and has been since 1990, although there wer e sporadic outbreaks before then, particularly between 1965 and 1968. These days the situation is so bad that at some times during the year, most hospital beds are taken up by sufferers of dengue requiring valuable transfusions of blood. In fact, the state of affairs has worsened to the point where the authorities ha ve called in world experts on mosquitoes from Thailand for help in eradicating d engue and treating those suffering from it. This exercise in itself is not inexp ensive, but it is hoped to save money in the long run. The difficulty is that Sr i Lanka does not have a large budget to draw on. In fact, mosquito populations are on the increase worldwide with many areas repo rting three times as many mosquitoes in 2011 as in 2010. Rich countries are coun tering this by spraying and poisoning. Spraying the air and vegetation and poiso ning pools with larvacide. Poor countries are much less likely to use these opti ons, rather, they fine the poor if stagnant water is discovered on their propert y. However, it is not merely the stagnant pools in old tyres and half coconut shell s that are to blame. The local authorities are less likely to spend money repair ing drains in slum areas, so standing water below ground in blocked drains becom es a perfect breeding ground for Aedes and other mosquitoes that carry contagiou s or parasitic diseases. In this way, the poor are much more vulnerable than the rich but through no fault of their own. In some cases, more and more often, some people say, corrupt government officia ls are fining firms that use lots of water (such as car washes) for not disposin g of the used water properly. Sometimes, a council authority is even charging th e businesses for drainage that is entirely inadequate and then fining them. Some times the sewage simply does not exist. Another source of mosquito bites is the myriad of small restaurants providing fo od for individuals who do not have the facilities to cook at home because they h ave no running water and no cooking equipment. This is a common situation and nu merous Westerners would be amazed to learn that numerous poor people in the Thir d World dine out everyday, simply because they do not have the facilities to coo k for themselves. Clearing away items in the backyard that hold water is not an option for the poo rest people of the world, because they simply do not have gardens,. Often they d o not even have homes as we know them and they certainly do not leave old tyres and buckets lying about to collect water - what is not absolutely crucial to sus tain life is sold for recycling because they cannot afford the luxury of keeping waste lying around. Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on more than a few topics, but is currently concerned with finding <a href="http://gettingridofmosquitobites.com/ natural-remedies-for-mosquito-bites.html">natural remedies for mosquito bites</a >. If you want to know more, please go to our web site at <a href="http://getti ngridofmosquitobites.com">Getting Rid of Mosquito Bites</a>.