Can we win the war?
As we wind our way up the stone stairs set into the mountain, on both sides of the path are graves, and, as is customary, each headstone includes a pair of marble vases. These are set right into the stone, so cannot be turned over. It was raining the past few days, so the vases are now filled with water, turning them into huge base camps for mosquito larvae.
Dr. Lin is first out of the trenches, advancing toward the graves. He uses a suction tube and jar to collect some water. Suddenly a mosquito flies over--walking right into a trap. Dr. Lin holds his breath and waits for the mosquito to deeply penetrate the skin on his arm. Then he gently takes the suction tube, aims, and sucks the mosquito in. Covering the end of the tube with his hand to keep the mosquito from escaping, he takes out a styrofoam cup with the date and location already written on it, and blows the mosquito through a specially designed opening into the cup. The first and only adult mosquito prisoner of the day is captured amidst the hurrahs of the bystanders. The cameraman turns his lens on to the insect, thinking that a blown-up closeup of the mosquito will cause quite a sensation on the evening news.
Bringing things to a close, Dr. Lin puts an insecticide tablet into the vase, so that the next time it rains the poison will drip down and make it impossible for larvae to survive. But looking around, there are not only marble vases, but also holes in trees, bamboo segments, the midribs of leaves.... each is a natural breeding site for the Aedes albopictus. There's a long way to go before the "light at the end of the tunnel" is visible in this war against the mosquito.
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Rolling up their pant legs and committing themselves to the limit, they are determined not to let a single mosquito get away. Working in two-person teams, they can provide mutual support in case they run into snakes,bees' nests, or other emergencies. At left is Director Lin Ting-hsiang.
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(right) Got one! This tiny Aedes albopictus is the villain in the spread of dengue fever in northern and central Taiwan.
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These tombstone vases are ideal breeding places for mosquitoes. Most people avoid cemeteries, but the "mosquito raiders" plunge right in.
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Though putting water plants in one's water receptacles won't help with household mosquitoes, it can greatly reduce the number of potentially disease-carrying Aedas albopictus. It's just that the exact way to implement this strategy and its effectiveness are still points of controversy.
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Little Tungta Stream runs between Tunghai University and the Taichung Industrial Park. It is dark and wet by the stream, and old tires filled with water--perfect mosquito egg-laying sites-- are strewn about. It will take a lot of work to eradicate the insects around here.
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"Aiyah, what is this?" Many people have never had an up-close look at larvae, not to mention attempted to differentiate them according to their special characteristics.
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Whenever cases pop up, the health authorities always spray the immediate area with insecticide and disinfectant. While helpful in the short run, it's not a fundamental solution. (photo by Huang Tzu-ming)
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Many people don't want to "disturb" their ancestors, so they hardly ever change the water in the Chinese evergreens kept next to the ancestral memorial, making more nests for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and giving public health agencies one more thing to worry about.
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Mosquitoes are divided by species and place of origin into these boxes. They live on sugared water and lay their eggs here; some have been in the laboratory for generations.
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As soon as a person enters the room, mosquitoes pick up the "human scent," and crowd around the gauze screen. And when specialist Chung puts his hand up against the screen, at once nearly 100 mosquitoes begin sucking away through the gauze. It sends chills up and down your spine!
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The larvae are allowed to grow to adulthood, then classified and counted for future research. There is always something that needs to be done: culturing of the virus, dissecting insects, injecting the virus into the mosquitoes to see the reaction.
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Of the 130 types of mosquito in Taiwan, only Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegyptii are "vectors" (carriers) for dengue fever. The photo shows the former species. (photo courtesy of the National Institute of Preventive Medicine)
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This is what the dengue fever virus looks like. (photo by Chen Hao-yung)
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Because the "mosquito raiders" are being sent on missions all over the island, it is rare that the seven members of the Medical Entomology Section are all together in one place. This group photo is an unusual event.
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To all citizens: Please carefully check your vases, gutters, flower pots, the bottoms of your refrigerators.... Be sure you are not raising mosquito larvae!
The larvae are allowed to grow to adulthood, then classified and counted for future research. There is always something that needs to be done: culturing of the virus, dissecting insects, injecting the virus into the mosquitoes to se e the reaction.
Of the 130 types of mosquito in Taiwan, only Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegyptii are "vectors" (carriers) for dengue fever. The photo shows the former species. (photo courtesy of the National Institute of Preventive Medicine)
This is what the dengue fever virus looks like. (photo by Chen Hao-yung)
Because the "mosquito raiders" are being sent on missions all over the island, it is rare that the seven members of the Medical Entomology Section are all together in one place. This group photo is an unusual event.
To all citizens: Please carefully check your vases, gutters, flower pots, the bottoms of your refrigerators.... Be sure you are not raising mosquito larvae!