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ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Tell me if this has ever happened to you...

Back last November, a fellow came by from the local health department and asked if he could inspect my apartment for dengue problems. We've had quite a problem with dengue over the last year. The fellow showed me some official looking identification papers. I said 'no', he could not enter my apartment. He told me he was looking for open buckets of water, etc. that a mosquito could nest in. I said I understood, that I knew all about dengue and that there were no such problems in my apartment. This guy was very polite and thanked me for my time.

Today another such guy showed up. Although he had a uniform of some kind on and an official-ish looking form on his clipboard, when I asked for ID he told me I would have to ask for his supervisor. I said fine. He then insisted on coming in to inspect my apartment, and I said 'no' politely but firmly.

This seemed to get the guy a bit agitated, and he was quite insistent that I let him in. I just said 'no', so he demanded to know MY name so he could report me to his jefa. I said fine and give him my name.

What do you think? It's not so much that I think he was dishonest or anything; I imagine he might well be exactly what he claimed to be, but I just didn't feel like I should have to let him into my home based solely on his word.

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

Oh yes, the health department are on dengue patrol here in Mazatlan at the moment also. And they are VERY insistent. My husband had to go into great details at the gate about us not having the traditional pila wash tub area, but rather an automatic washer. That pila is so HISTORY. But they need to see it with their own eyes. The pilas with standing water (and anything else, as you say) are what they are looking for and they come and put those little crystals into them. I have tried to fight them off in other years as well, but usually to no avail. This one scary woman from the Health dept came and doused all my plant pots in the back yard with her little crystals. Eeeek...

Yes, it's that time of year, and I guess I am glad they care but they are really trained to be forceful. Nice to see them take their jobs so seriously I suppose...and it is a preventative measure. Did he write on your apartment complex wall? They have to make a notation in chalk as to whether they inspected or not. And you are right to be careful....it could be a copy-cat knowing that they are going around, and taking the chance to size up your things for future reference. The real ones wear ID around their necks and carry clip-boards. And they are very bossy! Smile

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

El Gallo · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 318

A common thing where I live is entering someone's house to case the place. Later, while one is at work and with the help of neighbor look-out acomplices, rateros come to clean the place out. Be careful. This happened to me twice.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

The thing that makes me laugh is that IF this guy were casing my apartment (unlikely I think) he's probably now thinking "That pinche gringo wouldn't let me - he must be hiding some GOOD stuff in there!"

seanie · Joined: 28 Nov 2003 Posts: 54 Location: m�xico

A dengue volunteer from the neighbourhood came knocking on my gate at about 10 pm about 2 weeks ago. He didn't ask to come in, though. He gave me a piece of paper with information about the anti-dengue drive and advised me to take any old recipientes I may have had lying around (none Smile

) to a collection point at the end of the road the following Saturday. (I don't think I'd let a dengue inspector into my house either.)

MELEE · Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:30 pm Post subject:

Sam, you shouldn't worry about putting the "crystals" in your water, I assume you don't drink the tap water anyway. We put them in our tinaco and sisterna every year and it dramatically cuts down on the mosquito population. They haven't distributed them yet this year in my colonia and I wish they would get in gear as we have a major mosquito infestation. It's so bad, I'm considering introducing insect eating fish into my sisterna!

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

Melee, those magic mosquito-killing crystals are fine inside the pilas and standing water, but my concern was for our pets when she was freely flinging them around the bases of my potted plants. It's good the health department is proactive because people can die from dengue, quite likely the reason they take their jobs so seriously.

MELEE · Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 6:39 pm Post subject:

Sam,
The active ingrediant is bti (Bacillus Theurengiensis Israeliensis) and unless your pets are insects that lay their eggs in water it will not harm your pet. It has been used around the world for more than a decade. In the US it is common practice to add it to horse and cattle watering troughs--the water those animals drink. The base of a potted plant is an excellent mosquito breading ground and should either be illimanated (use those iron work stands and mop the drip under the pots) or treated.

danielita · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 281 Location: SLP

Back in November, they did a dengue/standing water inspection in my house. They seemed to know our apartment block fairly well as we all have a big barrel in our bathrooms as back up water in the event that we run out of water from the cistern. The just dropped a bag of white powdery stuff (I am guessing the bacteria that MELEE mentioned) and went on their way. They were really professional and relatively friendly. I am not sure how long the powder lasts and I am hoping that they come back soon. I just read in the paper today that my town holds the #2 spot in the state for dengue cases. Lucky me....