rainy season = dengue

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Dengue fever (pronounced UK: /ˈdɛŋɡeɪ/, US: /ˈdɛŋɡiː/) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute infectious diseases manifested initially with fever which occur in the tropics, can be life-threatening, and is also known as breakbone fever or dandy fever.

Transmission

Aedes aegypti, the transmitter of the disease, is a day-biting mosquito which lays eggs in clear and stagnant water found in flower vases, cans, rain barrels, old rubber tires, etc. The adult mosquitoes rest in dark places of the house.

Signs and Symptoms

The disease manifests as fever of sudden onset associated with headache, muscle and joint pains (myalgias and arthralgias—severe pain that gives it the nickname break-bone fever or bonecrusher disease), and rash.[8] The classic dengue rash is a generalised maculopapular rash with islands of sparing. A hemorrhagic rash of characteristically bright red pinpoint spots, known as petechiae can occur later during the illness and is associated with thrombocytopenia. It usually appears first on the lower limbs and the chest; in some patients, it spreads to cover most of the body. There may also be gastritis with some combination of associated abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Some cases develop much milder symptoms which can be misdiagnosed as influenza or other viral infection when no rash is present. Travelers from tropical areas may pass on dengue inadvertently, having not been properly diagnosed at the height of their illness.

Patients can pass on the infection only via Aedes mosquitoes or (much more unusually) blood products and only while they are still febrile. The classic dengue fever lasts about two to seven days, with a smaller peak of fever at the trailing end of the disease (the so-called "biphasic pattern"). Clinically, the platelet count will drop until after the patient's temperature is normal. Cases of DHF also show higher fever, variable hemorrhagic phenomena, thrombocytopenia, and hemoconcentration. A small proportion of cases lead to dengue shock syndrome (DSS) which has a high mortality rate.

Prevention and Control

Cover water drums and water pails at all times to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
Replace water in flower vases once a week.
Clean all water containers once a week. Scrub the sides well to remove eggs of mosquitoes sticking to the sides.
Clean gutters of leaves and debris so that rain water will not collect as breeding places of mosquitoes.
Old tires used as roof support should be punctured or cut to avoid accumulation of water.
Collect and dispose all unusable tin cans, jars, bottles and other items that can collect and hold water.

sources: DOH
             Wikipedia