In a dengue-endemic urban area, a health team calculates the Stegomyia (House) index as 12%. According to WHO risk thresholds, this indicates:

• A High transmission risk — the index exceeds the WHO recommended threshold of 1% ✓
• B No transmission risk as index is below 20%
• C Moderate risk — control measures needed only for outbreaks
• D Low risk as the threshold for epidemic potential is 50%

Explanation

The Stegomyia (House) Index measures the percentage of houses with Aedes aegypti larvae or pupae. WHO recommends that the Stegomyia indices should be below 1% (some guidelines say <5%) to minimize dengue transmission risk; an index of ≥1% indicates significant transmission risk. A House Index of 12% means 12% of inspected houses have Aedes breeding — substantially above safe thresholds and indicating high epidemic potential. The Breteau Index (number of positive containers per 100 houses) and Container Index (% positive containers) are the other Stegomyia indices used for entomological surveillance.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.