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I am Denguephobic

Health / by

I’m not sure if there is such a word as “denguephobic” but if there is not there should be.  I’m sure that most of you know what I mean when I use the “word” – I have a fear of dengue.

Dengue Fever is a tropical disease that is caused by mosquito bites.  It takes a bite from a certain kind of mosquito, and those mosquitoes only bite during the day, so at night you should be safe.  There are four different strains of “regular dengue” fever, and there is another very serious dengue called hemorrhagic dengue, which is the most deadly.  If you get hemorrhagic dengue, it is very likely that you will die, and not a pretty death.  The other four strains of dengue are not as serious, although there is still about a 20% chance of death if you don’t get the proper treatment.

Last year, many of you will remember, I got dengue.  While I don’t know for sure, I suspect that I contracted dengue when I went for a trip to Dinagat Island, which is north of Surigao, not far from Samar.  I suspect that is where I contracted the disease, because when I got home, I was symptomatic within about 2 days or so.  Dengue really threw me for a loop, and I was still feeling sick even 4 or 5 months down the road.  I was very sick, almost bed ridden for about 2 months or so.  It was quite an ordeal, one that I was happy to put behind me.

Since that time, I am quite fearful of mosquitoes now.  I didn’t used to be bothered by mosquitoes, but when I saw that they could put me down for a long, long time, I must admit that I became fearful of them, and still am.  I must say, mosquitoes don’t usually bother me, as far as biting me, but it only takes one.

I bring this subject up today, because the Davao Region is having an epidemic of dengue recently.  Digos City, and that general area (about an hour South of Davao City) has been hit very hard in particular.  At last count that I read, about 30 young people have died in the Digos area in recent weeks from dengue.  I read a newspaper report a few weeks ago that Davao Region is the dengue capitol of the Philippines right now.  Based on the numbers I have seen, I believe it too.  I’m not sure why Davao has been so affected, I guess it’s just one of those random things that happens, and we got hit with it this year.  I do know, though, that there is a lot of activity to try to alleviate the problem.

Last night, I was watching the local Davao TV newscast.  They were having a remote report from Maa Elementary school here in the City, and reporting how a lot of students were missing school due to having dengue fever.  They said that because of the outbreak, it was decided to put screens on the windows at the school.  I felt pretty happy, because the windows in the public schools are usually open completely, or partially, leaving it wide open for mosquitoes to enter the classroom.  My happiness, though, faded quickly when they showed the screens that had been installed.  They were wire screens that had holes about 1/2 wide in them.  It was wire mesh with large openings!  That won’t stop the mosquitoes.  What were they thinking when they chose this stuff to protect the kids?  Oh well…

By the way, speaking of dengue, I saw a Reuters news article the other day telling how dengue has struck about 1,000 people in Key West Florida.  Apparently, it’s been about 75 years since dengue was eradicated in the United States, but now it’s starting to creep it’s way back in, and the fear is that it could spread to other cities in the USA where mosquitoes are common.  I wonder, how will Americans deal with dengue?  I know that this American sure didn’t care for it!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Good article Bob. I take 1,000 mgs of Niacin dayley,no problems with them aney more. The screens don’t surprise me ,mite keep a Rat out. Keep up the good work………….

    • Hi Jim, I’ve wanted to try using niacin to keep mosquitos away. Did your skin ever come out with red flush from taking it? I’m glad that it helps you– I should really try it…

      • Hi Queeniebee……No flushing to me, Google mosquitoe repelent nician. Good luck it’s worth a try.

  3. Good article as always. Thanks for the info. What is Niacin, how does it work, and where do I get it? Thanks, RAY

  4. Hi Bob: You are right, that certain kind of mosquito is known as ( Aedes Egypti ) and is larger than the mosquito that is responsible for malaria, that mosquito is ( Anopheles ) of which there are several species. I have found a little device here in Butuan that is made in the shape of a small tennis racket, and is battery operated, at night use it to sweep your room and you will be surprised how many of the little critters you can fry. The device is called a mosquito swatter, and is re-chargable, costs about 300 pesos.

        • Hey Paul – You mean to tell me that you are actually cooking mosquitoes on the BBQ? Wow, they must have some big skeeters up in Zambales! They aren’t big enough to put on the rotisserie, are they? 😯 Do you use BBQ sauce on them, or just salt and pepper? 😉

          • the mosquitos are that big here in tassie mate that thay sit on logs and bark mate lol

            • Hi Peter – You aussie boys are a tough breed. In fact, I heard that in Australia the tough guys bite the mosquitoes… not sure if the mosquitoes get dengue, though! 😯

              • i dont think so bob but we do get ross river here in parts of australia and i think that is just about as bad as dengue mate and i know a lot off the army boys that come back down south after the war did have it as my dad was up nouth in 41 to 43 and did see a lot coming in from up nouth of australia that was very sick and that was not from being shot…….

                from peter martin tassie ps and by the way bob we will eat every think here in australia if the neeed is there……

      • Hi Bob, I had one of those electric swatters in Canada and here in Austria. Worked OK, but we didn’t have too many mosquitoes, but down in the Philippines, a bartender in Dumaguete took one behind the bar before he went and started sweeping it around. It was a bit dark there, and you could hear the snap and see the flash as the mosquitoes were “fried”. I couldn’t believe how many there were. The device I had ran on a 9 volt battery, looked like a tennis racket, and put out about 4ooo volts across the grids. pretty cool!

  5. Bob…The person that put those screens on must have been wearing the wrong shades that day.That is 2 funny…are You joking us on that or is that for real?

    • Hi Dan – No, that is really true! I saw it on the news. Funny thing was that the news people and the school employees seemed very proud and happy that these screens had been installed and would protect the kids! Feyma and I were sitting there looking at each other like “are they serious?” Ha ha… not a joke at all!

      • Wow! Ok…well sure your kids are not going to that school…If I had some going there and saw that..belive would be getting a hold of somebody and asking them just what kind of mosquito’s that screen was put there to stop…maybe its a new inhanced mutated kind of mosquito….hahaha….any way..be carefull…..

        • Hi Dan – That was a public school that was on the news… my kids go to a private school, and the windows are not like that where my kids go. You are right, those must be some kind of mutated mosquito!

  6. Hi Bob, I think what Jim is doing is taking niacin, a B vitamin, thought in all-natural alternative therapy to come out in the surface of the skin, and it is not pleasant to mosquitos, so can be a repellant. I’ve considered taking it too, but in some people there is a reaction of “flushing” or redening of the skin with high doses, and I’ve read that it doesn’t work for everyone. Maybe Jim you could tell us his experience with it and any flushing he might have possibly had. I’ve tried many different herbal sprays and lotions, but with not much success. I’ve tried Avon Skin So Soft, which is touted as a repellant, but it’s just too oily. I now during rainy season spray the Off powder but just not too much, because I don’t like having to use the chemicals too much, but the alternative is worse. I’ve also heard that garlic in large amounts can come out in the surface of the skin and work the same way as niacin but who knows how much you have to consume? All I know is that mosquitos just love me during this season and I have to remember to be careful. I try not to get too worried about it, but getting dengue is a scary prospect. As I’ve said in the past I’ve had dengue fever before.. not fun..

    • Hi Queenie – OK, I didn’t realize that niacin was supposed to be a bad taste to mosquitoes. I did a google search and looked on Wikipedia, but they said nothing about niacin having a connection to mosquito repelling.

      I have always been lucky that mosquitoes don’t really go after me. But, last year I learned the lesson that it only takes one bite to lead to problems! Lesson learned!

      • I hear you Bob– you know when I got it long ago, I remember looking down and swatting a mosquito with that distictive stripe one afternoon,. I didn’t really know anything about it at the time, but did notice the stripe. Wouldn’t you know, that probably was the culprit that shortly after put me in the hospital.

      • Very interesting this discussion on Niacin. I take a Niacin supplement daily. I know of doctors here in the states who will actually suggest that their patients take it. I became interested in it this past year while watching CNN one day, and they stated that in a recent medical report that Niacin was at least just as effective as any perscription blood pressure medicine, if not more so. It’s great for blood pressure and your circulation. There are two types, one will not make you flush, and one will. The one that does not, has questionable benefits. The flushing will scare you the first time at least it did to me. I broke out in this big sweat. My body started started turning a very bright shade of red, it began with the face and then moved down to my feet. I was literally bright red from head to toe, like I had a sunburn. The entire experience lasted maybe 20 minutes but at the time it seemed much longer. Just google it, don’t let the flushing scare you. Since that first experience, I now only take it at night. I guess my body quickly became adjusted to taking it, but I do not believe that I turn red any more, but I do sometimes feel rather warm for a very short period. Most days I feel nothing noticeable. That one really bad experience, only happened one time. Luckily I had done my homework, and was not surprised when it occurred. I am not sure that you want your kids taking this particular form of Niacin, but if you are over 40 I hope you read up on it and consider taking it on a daily basis, as it is very cheap and the benefits can be huge. This is one vitamin that I would definitely discuss with my doctor before taking though. So the question is, if Niacin can help you to fight off mosquitoes, then which version of it to take? Many multiple vitamins sold here in the states contain a form of niacin, but not the type or the amount that I take. So anyway, read up, talk it over with your doctor.

  7. Hi Bob
    We have ‘proper’ mosquitoe screens fitted on our door & windows (not with 1/2″ holes!!!). It is amazing the number of flying creaturers stuck there in the mornings. Although this place is not known as a mosquitoe affected area, there is still a large number of them around. It also stops flies from comming into the house……. What is the point of flies???? Does anybody know 🙂

    • Hi Barry – I think that almost any place in the tropics is gonna have mosquitoes. Some places are more infested than others, but I doubt there is any mosquito free place in the Philippines.

  8. I just came back from Palawan last week. I was a bit concerned about going there because Palawan has the reputation of having much more dengue than other places in the Phil.. My enquiries as to why that is the case usually seemed to be summed up that because Palawan is so clean with so little pollution the mosquitoes breed much more freely, and that they dont like to breed as much in the polluted waters around Davao. I took 2 kinds of bug spray with me since I saw my partners sister almost die of dengue here in Davao last year [ she had 3 blood transfusions and at one point was not expected to live !] I was quite surprised that only once did i feel it necessary to break out the spray [ supper at night at a waterfront restaurant that I discovered had been built in a mangrove swamp !] I find that I get bitten much more by skeeters here in Davao City. Maybe the little critters have developed a taste for polluted water !! lol

    • Hi ian – I am not certain about the pollution vs. no pollution thing… but what I do know is that according to the Dept of Health, Davao has the most dengue this year of any place in the Philippines.

      When it comes to pollution, though, I would think that Davao is among the cleaner out of Cities in the Philippines. Not comparing it with rural or isolated areas like Palawan.

    • Hi Ian,

      Perhaps you only got the wrong information, Palawan is known for malaria but not dengue. I have spent three weeks in Mt. Mantalingahan in Palawan, back in the 90’s, with the Tau’t batu tribe and me the rest of my team got inflicted with malaria from malaria mosquito bites.

      • Over 400 people die of dengue in Philippines in 2007

        http://www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-01 16:16:44 Print
        News story 2008-

        MANILA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) — The Philippine epidemic diseases monitoring agency on Friday reported that 411 people died of dengue mosquito bites in 2007.

        The figure was up 12 percent compared with that in 2006, said the report provided to Xinhua by the National Epidemiology Center under the Health Department.

        The center registered 44,422 dengue cases in the past year, most of which were reported in the densely-populated National Capital Region and the Central Visayas Region. The number grew almost 25 percent year-on-year.

        The West Visayas Region, which boasts of paradise tourist islands around Palawan, reported 118 dengue death cases last year, the most among 17 regions in the Philippines

        • Hi Ian,

          Indeed looking at the map of western visayas region you might think that Palawan is a part of it, but it is not, Palawan is under Region IV-B, or the Southern Tagalog region in Luzon, besides it stated there “around Palawan” but not within Palawan itself.

          • Hi Miles- thanks for the clarification. Palawan was unlike anywhere else I have been in the Philippines.
            Actually the politics of whether Palawan is part of the western visayas or not is kind of interesting.
            On May 23, 2005, Palawan and Puerto Princesa City were moved to Western Visayas by Executive Order No. 429[1]. However, on August 19, 2005, President Arroyo issued Administrative Order No. 129 to hold the earlier EO 429 in abeyance pending a review.[2] As of 2010[update], Palawan and the highly urbanized city of Puerto Princesa still remain a part of this region.
            I sure hope those mosquitoes know about that Administrative Order and stay out of Palawan !! lol
            Any Visayan/cebuano that i had learned was wasted in Palawan as the people are very proud of their Ilonggo !

  9. Maybe there’s truth in the polluted water theory – I don’t see many mozzies here in Navotas and they all seem to be the come-out-at-dusk variety. First thing I did when I moved into the apartment was get screens on all the doors and windows, much to the amusement of the neighbours. Filipinos in these parts tend not to see any point in doing something different to the way it’s always been done. Screens don’t help if you’re outside of course.

    Global warming will unfortunately see the spread of tropical diseases into areas that are free of them now. North Queensland is predicted to cop dengue and malaria within a few decades on the same scale as Papua New Guinea.

    • Hi Ken – Here in Davao, most people have screens on the windows, but the way it is done amuses me. The screens are on the inside of the glass instead of the outside. So, to open the windows, you have to first open the screens and open the windows. Sometimes mosquitoes come in before you have a chance to close the screens! 😆

      • Had to do it that way here Bob; we have those outward opening casement windows with lever latches. The carpenter made ingenious little trapdoors in the screens so we can put our hands through to open and shut the windows!

          • We have those latches in the screens, I’m not sure about yours but after a few uses ours had gaps where insects could get through. Better than no screens, but far from ideal.

            • I have a friend here in Davao who just got brand new screens installed on all of his windows (inside, of course!). He is wanting to call back the installers, because all of the screens have those gap openings where bugs can come in. Like you say, better than no screens, but not ideal! 😆

      • Yeah–that’s how it is on our house windows too–I thought it was kind of a bad idea too. Also, the synthetic “plastic” kind of screens don’t seem to let the air move in and out as freely as metal screens tend to do, and I think that’s why less local people want to have screens as opposed to open jelosy type windows.

        • Hi Queenie- We have the “Jelosy” type windows throughout the house with screens fitted to all windows on the outside and both back and front doors have external screened doors with automatic closers. For us it seems to work well in keeping out the bugs but we still spray the house internally before going out for a few hours from time to time so as to let the smell of the spray disipate.
          All our window screens are set in aluminium frames to prevent corrosion and I inspect regularly and after 5 years still show no signs of wear.
          Regards.
          Jim.

          • Hi Jim, I like the sound of that configuration– better than just the open jelosy windows. Are your screens metal or synthetic? If we could get metal, I’d consider replacing all the synthetic ones we have in order to get better air circulation, but still the protection of screens…

      • When we had our screens fitted, I asked the installer why it was done that way. He just looked at me and said he didn’t know. I asked him if he could fit the screens on the outside which he has done. No problem. We can open & close the windows without letting in any unwanted ‘guests’.
        I suspect the screens are more easy to steal being on the outside, but apart from that I see no reason.

        • Hi Barry – I also once asked an installer about installing screens on the outside of the windows. He replied to me:

          Sir, that’s not how it’s supposed to be done!

          Ha ha… OK, I told him…..

  10. We have low lying stagnant water here year round so the mozzies are plentiful and drive me nuts. Yet, after a while you learn to live with them and not give them much thought until you hear of a young child of two years being bitten and within a week the child dies. Reality check. But what can you? The storm water drains in the provinces are uncovered and don’t do jack, the water just sits there and is a perfect breeding ground for mozzies. For a country with so much water ( now this is a joke ), they can’t get the drainage right.

    At the end of the day what can you do, more people will die and suffer, oh well.

    • Hi Boss – One thing you can do is to just spread that stagnant water. Use a bucket or container to toss it out onto the dirt and such to spread it out. Doing this around your house will help a lot.

  11. We had challenges with Dengue in Obrero when I was there, Bob. Nothing like the feeling that an infantry company just ran over you, in full field dress! My brother-in-law & I were both afflicted, but I had bought “Fansidar”, while in Taiwan, and our suffering was minimal, compared to what many go through. I’d guess we were both bed-ridden for about 6 days, felt like recovering from a bad flu for another week and that was it. My brother-in-law suffered the joint pain much more than I did. Fansidar is made in India, is restricted from being sold in many countries, but works well for both dengue & malaria, as long as the remedy doesn’t kill you itself. I hope I can find some again, before I return. Maybe a visit to Taiwan, enroute, would be a good move. As for the “tennis rackets”, we brought a few with us from Taiwan, but they didn’t last long. The bites that I find the most painful & irritating are the ones that you get at night, on the toes. I like to let my toes breath at night, so I’m bringing mosquito socks with me when I return. Let’s start a petition to deport all mosquitos!

    • I’m no expert on mozzies Mike ( I should be by now ) but in Australia they spray stagnant water to kill the larvae. It can’t be done here?

      • Could it? I don’t see why not, though they’d probably have to spray the entire country, which would probably require mass evacuations. Will they? Doubtful.

      • WARNING

        FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADMINISTRATION OF FANSIDAR HAVE OCCURRED DUE TO SEVERE REACTIONS, INCLUDING STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME AND TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS. FANSIDAR PROPHYLAXIS MUST BE DISCONTINUED AT THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF SKIN RASH, IF A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE COUNT OF ANY FORMED BLOOD ELEMENTS IS NOTED, OR UPON THE OCCURRENCE OF ACTIVE BACTERIAL OR FUNGAL INFECTIONS.

        I thought I’d cut & paste this, as I don’t wish to be guilty of recommending it. It did work for us but, as queeniebee points out, it is very dangerous. If I had read this back in the early 1990s, I wouldn’t have taken it, nor given it to my brother-in-law. We only used it once, however, as I was told to do. In those days, chloroquine was the main alternative & not considered very effective in S.E. Asia.

    • Hi Mike,

      Fansidar tablet from roche pharma is available in Mercury Drug Store in the country, though if malaria is not common in the area where you are living then you will have a hard time getting one.

  12. Bob: It fries them like little french frys, they lite-up and sizzle. At night before you turn in sweep the corners of your room and under the bed, if any are around you’ll hear them sparkle.

    • French Fries? We have Paul T barbecuing the mosquitoes up in Zambales, and you are making french fries out of them! People are going to start feeling hungry!

  13. HI Bob,

    I have been following press reports about the increase of Dengue in The Philippines and it seems the number of ” Reported Cases ” is Up in many places over last year. As I recall from the press reports I have read the past few weeks, in Northern Mindanao Bukidnon has a much higher concentration of cases followed by CDO followed by Iligan.

    There is some new kind of screening that has come out but not like the one you have in the pic here. It is some kind of plastic, nylon or synthetic screeen that has a built in insecticide to kill mosquitoes, it is not too fine of a mesh to significantly block air flow, and the built in repellent / insecticide can witstand washing if done according to the instructions.

    As I recall, Philippine DOH is supplying some schols with this new kind of screening. There is an importer / distributor for this screening in Cagayan De Oro. If I can find the link to that press release on this item I will get back to you on it.

      • I have posted the link below, Bob. That is all the info I have on it. I am sure you will beinterested in following up on this item. Here where I live mosquitoes can carry ” West Nile Virus ” and I think yesterday I heard of the death of someone in Long Island, NY, the first reported death of it this year. In the past, many areas known to have infestations of mosquitoes have been areial sprayed to keep them under control or eliminate them. If you have heard of Dengue in Florida, it may only be a matter of time before it comes up the east coast. At least we have the winter season here to make the creatures dormant for part of the year.

        Fly paper may also be helpful in catching mosquitoes that may get in the house.

        • Hi Bob – I did read that the US Center for Disease Control is expecting Dengue to spread to other parts of the USA. I hope they can keep it under control!

      • Permethrin is the chemical sprayed on the netting. I do this in our boat, on the nets covering our hatches and portholes. We travel through malaria ridden countries and nothing is more annoying than listening to mosquitoes humming around your ear at night. I was told it lasts 6 months on the nettings. Since I couldn’t find the Permethrin spray in the stores, I was told that the travel clinic in Vancouver sells them to travelers. That was where I got my spray bottles. So for those interested, just check in to your local travel clinics. Also some brands of mosquito sprays use permethrin – just have to read the fine print on the can. They are apparently safer.

        • Hi Ellen and Bob, Permethren probably is a big help on screens on your boat Ellen, where I’ll bet mosquitos must be relentless out on the water. Using it as a topical spray on the skin can be risky though I’ve read. It’s so maddening when you try to do something to help yourself and it ends up being risky too.
          I remember that on our land we have some “mosquito trees” or Neem trees that in India, parts of the tree are used to make neem oil for plant insecticide and mosquito repellant. I wonder if that would serve the same purpose in a safer way?

  15. The fear I have of one of my kids contracting DH is the only thing which could change my mind about moving there…

    • Hi brian – I can certainly understand your fear. However, you should remember that getting Dengue is only a remote possibility, and getting DH is even way more remote. There are diseases that can be gotten in the States too, so staying there does not necessarily make your children safe either.

  16. Damned mosquitos! Would even the most ardent tree hugger really rue the day they (and roaches) went extinct?

  17. Hi Bob,
    Hmm…Mesh cloth with a 1 inch/25mm spacing? For particularly clumsy mosquitoes ?
    Inept sourcng of supplies? Out of stock / substitute ?
    No, this is a serious problem and needs to be addressed.
    Maybe this only the first layer of screening to be applied, then another layer of finer mesh screen will later be applied.
    Our practical example: Our sreened front doorhad a single layer of fine mesh screen. The kids running in and out poked many holes in it. Net result; effectiveness destroyed.
    Our solution: Install strong hardware cloth of about 1/4″ mesh, too small for tiny fingers to penetrate and then a second layer of fine mosquito proof screen.
    Simple problem; simple solution.
    I hope the school maintenance people know this already.
    Otherwise please forward…
    Hopefully,
    Jade

  20. We had a scare last week with both our kids having fevers. It’s scary here in Digos as many kids do have Dengue. I was in all the hospitals last week and they were packed with kids waiting for attention. We’re fine now.

    In our barangay, they are spraying the fog with machines trying to kill the mosquitoes. Problem is, it seems to rain most every day and there are many puddles still around. There’s not enough time for them to dry out.

    In all the stores here they are sold out of insect repellent when we tried to buy some last week. We finally got some more today. In our house here we have screens which is a big help. Many of the smaller houses around here have no screens and I hate to think of someone sleeping without them. I just wrote a post on this this topic.

    • Hi Kevin – I know your feeling, it sure is scary when you think one of your kids may have dengue. There have been times in the past when we had such a suspicion. I’m glad that it never happened!

  21. I got the Dengue after about three weeks in the Philippines. I was in the Adventist Hospital for a week as they tried to keep me alive. Lots of IV fluid, my plateletts was at 40. The doctor was thinking of a transfusion, but he was waiting for my plateletts to get below 40 and it never happened.
    Friends and family were pouring Tawa-Tawa down me. To tell you the truth, I really think it helped keep me alive.
    I studied the Dengue a lot after getting out. The risk of the mosquitos at your home is almost nothing. It’s usually at a place where it is warm and moist and lots of people.
    There are four types of Dengue, as you get each one, you become immune to that strain. If you’ve had the Dengue once, your chances of Dengue drop. I don’t worry about mosquito bites when I get them at home.
    I was weak and tired for a couple or three months after getting out of the hospital.
    The doctor was excellent, the nurses were excellent, the hospital was fantastic. Only thing I hated was the food. I don’t like tofu, and Adventist doesn’t serve meat.

    • Hi Kenneth – Thanks for sharing all of that information! I do have one comment, though. I have been told by doctors, and also found on the Internet that when you catch dengue, you will be immune to that one kind of dengue for only about one year or so. A year later, you can catch that same strain of dengue again if you get bit by the right mosquito. Have you heard this?

      • I hadn’t heard that, but probably true. I don’t want to go through that experience again, I don’t think I’d make it through a second time.
        Did you hear about the Tawa-Tawa soup for the Dengue, or did you ask your wife and see a huge smile on her face?
        I still think the Tawa-Tawa had a big influence on my recovery along with the IV fluids.

        • Hi Kenneth – I agree, I would not want to go through dengue again either. I think I have actually had it twice now. About 6 or 7 years ago I got very sick, but did not know what it was. After having a confirmed case of dengue last year, I am pretty sure that my earlier sickness was dengue also.

          Oh yes, I had tawa tawa, but not in soup form. I drank it as a tea or a juice. I really didn’t care for the stuff.

    • Hi Boss – I just looked it up on the USGS website. There were three 7+ magnitude quakes in the Moro Gulf near Cotabato City this morning! The first was 7.3, second was 7.6 and the third was 7.4. Many other aftershocks in the 5+ range too. I wonder if there was any damage in Cotabato?

      • “It was kind of mild,” said Monisa Tulawie, a staff member at the Cotabato city mayor’s office, who told AFP she felt one of the quakes.

        Other residents contacted by phone were unaware of what had happened, saying they had not been woken by the tremors.

        “We have received no reports of damage or casualties,” said local fire official Marlon Macapili of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, a self-ruled area that includes four provinces around Cotabato.

        Seismologist Wilmer Legaspi of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quakes were too deep to cause substantial surface damage, although flimsy structures could be vulnerable.

        Read more

        • Yeah, it seems like there was little or no damage. The quake was about 100 miles offshore, but I would have expected to see some damage from 3 quakes of that size.

  23. A funny story comes to mind, My wife told me that when she was young everyone thought there where no mosquito’s in the USA lol. When she got here she found out Wisconsin Mosquito’s are the size of your fist.
    Most people use the coils but I find they dont work well. We had a racket last coupe times we where there and it worked really well. plus it was fun to chase my wifes brother around the house and zap him with it :0)

    • Hi Jack – Size of your fist? Wow, so you have those mosquitoes that Paul Thompson was talking about putting on the barbecue grill? I hope they taste good! 😆

      I gotta find one of those rackets, they sound effective and fun!

    • My upcoming trip to Wisconsin will provide me with many mosquito opportunities. Don’t know about the size though. Now Minnesota, that is another story, “land of 10,000 lakes”, Boundary Waters Canoe Area, been there done that, beautiful, and a mosquito smorgasbord.
      Deer ticks and Lyme Disease is very popular too.

        • Daisy and I proudly announce our latest business venture!

          JADE’S, Laguna Fried Skeeters – better than “Chik’n”

          Fried chicken stands – better watch out! Skeeter nuggets, Mmmmmm, protein beyond belief!

          Once we saw a person fishing with a hand line in lake Laguna de Bay for minnow sized fish for his family’s dinner…

  24. Hi bob well reading your article brought back memories for me of my time in the army in far north queensland ,another reader mantioned about ross river virus and i beleive this is another term for dengui fever ,the ross river runs straight through the middle of townsville and the mozzies are pretty bad i remember seing fogging vehicles from the engineers going around the base fogging trying to keep the numbers down ,i can remember being on excercise and haveing my hands so badly bitten that i could not move my fingers but i never got the fever thankfully , it was one thing that my gp gave me some tablets for and also i think maleria when i cam to davao ,it must have looked strange to my now wife when we would go out as i would don the insect reppelent even when we went to sm mall but thats the tropics ,a mate of mine used to be in a unit a long time ago that served in new guinea and there job was to catch mosquitos for testing i didnt beleive him at first but apparently it was true the only good mozzie isa dead one i rekon
    chris

    • Hi chris – I think it’s a good idea to put on the repellent when you go out, although I admit that I do not do it. I try to be mindful of mosquitoes, but don’t really take any special precautions. Maybe I should, though! 😆

  25. I saw, I think a day or two ago, about Duterte helping dengue victims. Reminded me of that infection or whatever it is. That’s the only thing I worry mainly about here (if I worry at all of any dangers) ..

  26. From the website of the World Health Organization:

    An estimated 500 000 people with DHF (dengue hemorrhogic fever) require hospitalization each year, a very large proportion of whom are children. About 2.5% of those affected die.
    Without proper treatment, DHF fatality rates can exceed 20%. Wider access to medical care from health providers with knowledge about DHF – physicians and nurses who recognize its symptoms and know how to treat its effects – can reduce death rates to less than 1%.

    Must be terrible to have had it, but not as scary as you imply above. The key seems to be: proper care, as you wrote.

    • Hi ProfDon – If the prospects of getting Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever are not so scary to you… more power to you! I’m happy for you. I don’t know, maybe you are quoting some kind of first world statistics on death.

  27. One product that helps to reduce bites & ease the itch of bites is Avon’s “skin so soft”. At one time in my life I went tree planting for a short time and took some with me, to test this out. We normally use 95% DEET when planting, but it shouldn’t be put on skin & eats most materials, over time. The following season, I didn’t go planting – super athlete stuff – but my wife sold approx. 1,200 bottles of skin-so-soft to my former company! Whenever my wife goes to Davao, she brings a few bottles with her. Is 95% DEET available in The RP?

    • Hi Mike – I’ve heard about the Skin So Soft from Avon, but I’ve always heard mixed reviews as far as the mosquito repellent properties of the product is concerned. Earlier in this very post, queeniebee reported that she was not satisfied with the product. So, maybe it works, or does not, I suppose it is up to each individual to decide. There are mosquito repellent products with deet available here, although I don’t know what the percentages are.

      • Hi Bob – I tried Skin-So-Soft years ago for skeeters and I thought it worked quite well. However, like Queenbie said, it’s very oily. When it came time to washing it off, that’s where extra caution is needed. In the bath, the oily residue from washing it off creates a very slippery surface. So best wash the bath flooring thoroughly for the next bather. As for repellents, I use OFF products. For my last 2 visits to the Philippines, I had two such products. One was a child-safe product and the other was a higher concentrated one. The higher concentrated product contained 98.25 % DEET. I was worried about such a high concentration, so I used it sparingly on the skin. Following the directions resulted in no side effects. Each night when we’d go out, I would have everyone line up and they would get sprayed. The strong smell wasn’t pleasant, but we got used to it.

        • Hi Henry – It is very important to use that repellent during the daytime hours, though, as that is when the dengue mosquitoes bite. The ones that bite at night are a nuisance, but do not give you dengue.

  28. I am some what of an authority on Niacin or, to be a little more exact, Niaspan 1,000 ER Tabs prescribed by my Cardiologist for Cholesterol.

    The flushing can be minimized by eating something like apple sauce (just a little) at the same time you take the tablet and taking both of these just before going to bed. When I take the tablet tonight before bedtime, I do not expect to experience any flushing whatsoever. Apparently the pectin in apple sauce helps.

    Also, there is a ton of Niacin production on market — I would recommend one that is “time released” as opposed to just dumping all the medication into the blood stream at the same time. (The ER in the brand I take stands for “Extended Release”.)

    Frankly if you take Niacin that does not “flush your skin” then you are taking some watered-down poor quality version of the vitamin. What happens when you take Niacin is the really tiny blood vessels are expanding allowing blood to flow to parts of the body in a greater amount than would flow otherwise. With me it would be the ears, cheeks, chest, and back sides of the arms would tingle and itch for 10 or 15 minutes. When you itch the natural thing to do is scratch the place that is itching — but this simply makes the skin more sensitive so if possible you need to try not to scratch.

    One other important thing — don’t start out taking 500 or 1,000 mg of this pill. That’s too much to start with. Either break the pills in half or take a smaller dosage at first. And look on the brighter side –in America the pill’s major use is to correct cholesterol levels.

    Good luck with the mosquitos and try to get that crap cleared up before I show up in a few months!

    –Rich–

  30. Hi Bob,

    Where I am now in Laguna, in the foothills of Mt. Makiling, very lush and jungle, wet, wet, wet, I was assured no malaria mosquitoes and so far, no dengue. The groundskeepers make sure they dump or swish any water accumulation. I’m reading a book by the travel writer, Paul Theroux, and didn’t realize that dengue has been around (well, since 1963 when he was Puerto Rico), and prevalent in all tropical countries (heard of girl getting it in Fiji.) Anyway, good article to remind people we’re in the tropics.

    Alex

    • Hi Alex – Watch out for the dengue mosquitoes… no matter what the groundskeepers tell you. If you are in the tropics, you may encounter one anywhere.

  31. hey bob, im from the philippines too., and we have dengue outbreak here in my province., well im not 100% sure but im using Neem Herbal Cream that i bought here in my neighbor as repellant and it did repel mosquito than other Herbals and Chemical repellent ive tried., and just to make sure, i bought also Neem Herbal Essence oil that i used to repel too., i used it as a scented oil heated by a candle at the bottom., the odor of the Neem Oil repel mosquito inside your house. and the Neem lamp oil. use as kerosine for lamp., the odor also repel the mosquito. if you all add the repellent i use, cream for my body,essence oil and lamp oil for the house. well for sure i have 80% protection from mosquito. you can try Neem to.. Try to research the benefits. its much effective than other.