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Vector-Borne Diseases
Vectors are living organisms that can transmit infectious diseases either between humans or from animals to humans.Mosquitoes are the best known disease vector; others include ticks, flies, sand flies, fleas, triatomine, bugs and some freshwater aquatic snails.
Key Facts:
- Worldwide, vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 1 million deaths annually.
- More than 2.5 billion people in over 100 countries are at risk of contracting dengue alone.
- Malaria causes more than 400 000 deaths every year globally, most of them are children under 5 years.
- Other diseases, such as chagas disease, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis, affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
- Main Reasons of disease transmission: globalization, travel and trade, unplanned urbanization and environmental challenges such as climate change
- Some diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and West Nile virus are emerging in countries for the first time
- In Lebanon, the Syrian crisis is a major risk factor for the emergence of vector-borne diseases due to displacement of carriers.
- The accumulation of the garbage in Lebanon and the warm weather constitute a favorable condition for the breeding of vectors such as rodents, insects, mosquitoes and ticks.
- Many of these diseases are preventable through appropriate protective measures.
Prevention:
It is important to take appropriate measures to protect yourself and your family from vector-borne diseases:
- Before you travel to yellow fever endemic countries make sure to be vaccinated ( Note that one dose is able to give life-long protection against yellow fever)The yellow fever vaccine is free of charge and available in the following centers:
| The Governorate | The Center | The Physician | The Phone Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beirut | Quarantine/ Beirut Rafic Hariri International airport | Dr. Atika Berry – Dr. Hasan Al Malah | 01/629325- 01/611845 |
| The North | Al Mina/ Quarantine | Dr. Akram Ghanem | 03/228846 – 06/600787 |
- Before temporary travel to malaria endemic countries , such as Central Africa, it is essential to take the anti-malarial preventive medications (dose and quantity are to be prescribed by physician in the center of Malaria Control)
| Name of the Center | Location | Phone Number | Physician |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center of Malaria Control | Karantina- Next to Sleep Comfort | 01/580660 | Dr. Najib Achi |
- Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers that covers all the body
- Use insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing to protect yourself from being bitten by mosquitoes, sand flies or ticks (except for injured or allergic skin)
- Spray the inside of dwellings with an insecticide
- Use window screens to keep mosquitoes and insects outside the place where you are staying
- Close the windows and the doors and use air conditioner.
- Sleep under a white insecticide-treated bed net (156 holes per square inch), large enough to be fixed under the bed
- Avoid or get rid of any media where the vector can breed, such as stagnant water in flower pots or used tires
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