Dengue Fever and Chikungunya are nasty viral diseases for which no drugs or vaccines are available. They are quickly spreading to several countries, and impact severly on public health. Symptoms of Dengue and Chikungunya are very similar, including a sudden high fever, severe joint pains, muscle pain and headache. The symptoms appear between 4 to 7 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and usually last 3 to 10 days.
The disease-transmitting Aedes mosquitoes are difficult to combat, as they lay eggs in just about any small water source, such as flower pots, discarded tires and empty containers. It is almost impossible to eliminate all the breeding sources. Mosquitoes are also becoming increasingly resistant to chemical insecticides, which make current control products virtually useless.