Senior Entomologist of WHO Southeast Asia region Dr BN Nagpal on Monday said Aedes mosquitoes cannot be killed by applying insecticides through fogging machines on streets.
“WHO has completely stopped the recommendation of fog…the problem is that this mosquito doesn’t come in contact with the fog as it rests inside urban houses,” he said, adding that using aerosol is much effective to this end.
Dr Nagpal was speaking at a press briefing arranged jointly by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and Home and Family Welfare ministries at the DGHS in the city’s Mohakhali area.
“Fog contains 95 percent oil (diesel, kerosene etc) and five percent insecticide. This mosquito (Aedes) rests inside houses and fogging the street won’t affect them,” he said. The WHO expert also shed light on the breeding habit of Aedes aegypti, the carrier of dengue virus, terming the notion that it lays eggs on water as a myth. “This mosquito is a smart one. A female Aedes mosquito lays eggs on the brims of containers. In ideal conditions, eggs can survive for upto one year.”
As little as two ml of water is enough for hatching, Dr Nagpal said, adding that abandoned and neglected areas can serve as the breeding grounds of the mosquito.
He also urged the media to play a role in raising awareness about cleanliness to prevent dengue infection.
DGHS Director General Prof Abul Kalam Azad said it is necessary that people do the right thing at the right time for eliminating the dengue threat.
He also mentioned that DGHS has provided each district hospital with Tk 10 lakh while government hospitals at upazila level with Tk 2 lakh each for procuring dengue-testing kits.
Azad also said there might be shortage of testing kits somewhere as people rush to hospitals and diagnostic centres to get tested out of panic.
He expressed the hope that the number of dengue patients in Dhaka will decline during Eid-ul-Azha although there might be a rise countrywide.
