Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease found in tropical climates, causes high fevers, severe headaches, fatique, and vomiting. In Surakarta, Indonesia, the Rotary Club of Solo Kartini and its international partner, the Rotary Club of Estport, Connecticut, decided to tackle dengue head-on by interrupting the lifecycle of carrier mosquitos. The insects breed in standing water, including in waste areas and bathtubs.
First, using funds from Rotary global grants, club members lined more than 3,500 dark cement bathtubs, which are common in Indonesian households, with white tiles so mosquito larvae would be easier to see and remove. Then, they began edu cating the community about properly cleaning the tubs, closing the lids on water contains, and burying waste to limit the places where mosquitos can breed and grow.
Surakarta’s public health department plans to expand the white-tile project to other parts of the city and continue to fight dengue fever.
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