As you can imagine, the Amazon jungle is full of insects, in particular, the pesky mosquito. Mosquitoes love shady trees and damp river banks and of course, in the Amazon, many people live in areas just like that. The mosquito is a serious problem because when it bites someone with a disease like malaria, chikungunya or zika, it can pass the illness on to the next person it bites. It’s not only in the jungle, though. Here in the Caribbean, the mosquito is a problem too; they spread dengue fever, chikungunya and now zika virus.
Scientists and governments are working very hard on medicines to help with the illnesses and to find ways to stop mosquitoes; but this could take a long time. In the meantime, they have said that the best thing everyone can do is to try to protect themselves by removing mosquito breeding grounds and to avoid getting bitten.
So what can you do to protect yourself, your family and your friends? Who better to explain than our favourite Sesame Street Muppets? The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has teamed up with Elmo and Raya and made two fun, short videos for children all over South America and the Caribbean to watch on YouTube.
In the first video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icJIdwn-kGI, Elmo and Raya show us how to get rid of mosquito breeding areas. They explain that we need to make sure to empty any water containers, such as buckets and plant pots. Water tanks and cisterns should be tightly sealed so mosquitoes can’t get inside. Try to make sure there is no standing water around your house. (Think about your dog or cat’s water bowl too – make sure to rinse and add fresh water every day). Also, don’t let garbage pile up around the house – mosquitoes love to live in garbage.
In the second video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAA8sQYlkn0, you will see Elmo accidently batting Raya with a fly swat while trying to catch a mosquito that was buzzing around them! Raya explains that there are better ways to avoid mosquito bites. She says to be sure to wear mosquito spray. It’s a good idea to wear light long pants and shirts with long sleeves so that your skin is covered and protected. Your clothes should be light coloured as mosquitoes are drawn to dark colours where they can hide.
Raya also tells us that screens on doors and windows help stop the mosquitoes coming into your home (and don’t forget to close that screen door tightly!). Remember, as Elmo and Raya said, “If the mosquito can’t bite you; bye-bye, Zika” (and dengue fever and chikungunya)!
