As dengue fever cases continue to rise across the Philippines, the village of Addition Hills in Metro Manila has launched an unconventional program: offering cash rewards for captured mosquitoes, regardless of whether they are dead or alive. Residents can earn 1 peso (about $0.02) for every five mosquitoes they collect, an initiative that has drawn significant interest and even led to long queues of participants.
Village chief Carlito Cernal hopes that this effort, combined with community cleanup activities, will help reduce the spread of dengue. However, health officials and experts in the Philippines are skeptical about the effectiveness of such an approach.
In 2023, dengue fever infected 167,355 people in the country, resulting in 575 deaths. This year, as of February 1, the Philippines has already recorded 28,200 cases, reflecting a 40% increase compared to the same period last year.
The Department of Health and medical experts stress that proper sanitation remains the most effective way to combat dengue, arguing that a mosquito bounty program is unlikely to have a meaningful impact.
Viewer Comments:
If they start breeding mosquitoes on purpose, this could actually turn into a business.
It’s easy as long as they don’t care whether the mosquitoes are dead or alive.
I feel like this village might be the start of a pandemic.
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