MANILA, Philippines - With dengue cases on the rise, extra care is needed to keep surroundings clean and keep dengue-carrying mosquitoes at bay. Now there are also new gadgets in the market which may help get rid of these pesky mosquitoes.

One of these is the mosquito-repelling light bulb. It has the standard size of a light bulb which makes it easy to install anywhere in the house. At only 9 watts, it is also an energy saver, so households can easily afford to keep this on the whole night.

Another product is the blue light insect killer bulb which entices mosquitoes to come nearer then zaps them with electric current.

There is also the electric-powered mosquito repeller gadget which comes in liquid and mat forms.

And when there's a brownout, the rechargeable electric fan with a mosquito repellant function can be very handy and useful.

The gadgets may be on the expensive side, but can help families have peace of mind especially at this time when it's dengue season.

Dengue diagnosis

Currently, dengue is diagnosed within 5 to 7 days after the onset of fever. This has led to cases when dengue is already severe and the patient's life is in danger.

Dr. Raul Destura of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines, Manila-National Institute of Health is currently working on a project using technology to enable doctors to diagnose dengue within 1 or 2 days from the onset of fever.

His project, named Biotek M Project Dengue, involves the use of nucleic acid amplification technology.

In First World countries, it costs $8 to have such a test using that technology, but it costs $150 or P7,000 in the Philippines.

Destura believes the cost of the test has become high due to taxes and margins added by importers.

"I guess ang isang problema dito ay regulation. Walang regulation sa industry ng importation ng medical equipment. Mas malaki ang patong o profit ng importers o middleman kaysa sa taxes kaya napapamahal ito," said Destura.

It will take two years before results can show if Destura's project can indeed make dengue diagnosis faster at a cheaper cost. If successful, the project can help lessen the anxiety of families who need to wait a long while at the hospital to confirm if a family member has dengue. -- Report from TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News