A good first line-of-defense against dengue would be the use of natural oils extracted from citronella and eucalyptus, which active ingredient is considered nature’s own repellant.

Recent studies indicate that oils from citronella and eucalyptus contain highly effective repellant properties in driving away mosquitoes particularly when used with an air purifying system.

Moreover, oil of eucalyptus has been endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by the World Health Organization for its proven efficacy.

These oils can be used against the mosquito species called Aedes aegypti, which has become a villain on the Philippine public health stage.

Dengue is a viral infection which has been with us for at least 200 years. With the cases of dengue reaching a high of 14,142 from Jan. 1 to Aug. 11 with 189 recorded deaths.

Dr. Eric Tayag, officer-in-charge of DOH-National Epidemiological Center (NEC) said, "we are expecting to have more than 20,000 cases for the next two months, or 500 new cases with one to two deaths every week."

Dengue begins abruptly with a high fever, severe headache and tremendous pains in the muscles and bones. The name actually means "breakbone fever."

To learn more steps that can be taken to keep mosquitoes away from your home, e-mail: goodsphere@iajcorp.com.