Tainan Residents on High Alert Against Dengue Fever|防治登革熱 台南文南里發起"抓孑孓大賽"

According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, there have been 60 cases of domestic dengue fever so far this year. Tainan has the second highest number of cases with 15 and there is a sense of public crisis. One borough chief has started a mosquito larvae catching competition, while another person has reported a pool of stagnant water in the basement of a building affiliated with municipal historic monument Dehua Hall due to concerns the pool could become a breeding site for vector mosquitoes.


The borough chief and over 100 volunteers from Tainan's Wennan Borough inspect water containers and abandoned toilets for mosquito larvae. In three hours, they find larvae in a toilet and a discarded tire. The local health bureau has issued fines.

So many people are taking part because they're scared. Wennan Borough is pretty large and has over 2,000 households. Every group is divided into two (smaller) groups to inspect the community.

As of July 22, there have been 59 cases of domestic dengue fever reported so far this year. Tainan has seen the second highest number of cases with 15. Someone recently reported a pool of stagnant water in the basement of a building in the Dehua Hall complex. Dehua Hall is a municipal historic monument and there have been rumors about large swarms of mosquitoes there. The health office immediately sent inspectors to the site after getting the report.

It's inspected on a weekly basis. The water pump was probably struck by lightning. Otherwise, water wouldn't accumulate there.

The owner is draining the water. We have also already sterilized the building.

The health bureau did not issue any fines because no larvae or mosquitoes were found and management is draining the water. As Dehua Hall is close to the busy Confucius Temple shopping district and Fuzhong Street, not to mention just two streets over from dengue fever hotspot Kaishan Borough, everyone is on high alert. Four years ago, dengue fever took over 100 lives in Tainan.



里民、社區志工動員100多人，有人找積水容器、有人查棄置馬桶，目標只有一個，就是查看孑孓，3個小時下來，一處廢輪胎、一處廢馬桶都發現孑孓，被衛生所開罰，這是台南南區文南里舉辦的抓孑孓大賽。

台南市南區文南里長 陳清泉表示：「就是會怕，才會動員這麼多人，文南里因為有兩千多戶，範圍也很大，每一組的人 分成兩(小)組，去里內的大街小巷去巡。」

全台到7月22號，共59例本土型登革熱，台南病例數是全台第2高，共有15例，也讓台南人可以說是聞蚊色變，像是台南市定古蹟德化堂的附屬大樓，被民眾發現地下室積水，還一度傳出有人看見大量蚊子飛，讓衛生單位接到通報立刻到場，幸好只是虛驚一場。

台南德化堂員工表示：「一個禮拜都會下去看一次，應該是抽水馬達被雷電打到，我們在想是這樣，不然我們沒有在積水的。」

台南市衛生局技正 卓金津表示：「屋主現在也馬上抽水，把水抽掉，然後我們衛生單位也已投藥。」

防疫人員清查後，確認沒有孑孓、蚊子，業者也正在排水，因此不用開罰，但這也突顯民眾一看到積水就害怕，尤其德化堂緊鄰遊客多的孔廟商圈、府中街，還跟台南的登革熱疫情熱區的開山里只隔一條街，也難怪民眾神經緊繃，就怕不小心又讓病媒蚊大量孳生，重演4年前，本土型登革熱在台南大流行，還帶走100多條人命的慘況。