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February
28, 2001
Dhaka-- – Already the city-dwellers are plagued by swarming mosquitoes and a yet grimmer message for them from experts is that they would continue to suffer the menace as the tiny tyrants developed resistance to all the insecticides being sprayed.
It has become a common complaint these days that anti-mosquito agents like aerosol and coil are not working and the blame unilaterally goes to aerosol companies that they were marketing substandard bug killers.
Talking to UNB, DCC Chief Health Officer Dr Mohammed Ashraf Uddin yesterday (Tuesday) said sometimes anti-mosquito sprays as well as other agents like coil and so do not work promptly as mosquito developed resistance against ingredients.
“One of the unfamiliar anti-mosquito coils found effective in a village, 35 km off the capital, later proved ineffective in Dhaka City because city mosquitoes have developed more resistance compared to rural ones as it is susceptible to different types of anti-mosquito measures,” he said.
He observed mosquito is one of the oldest insects in the world. It’s a 2000-year-old species, he said, trying to mean that the problem is complex at this point of time.
However, according to experts, the consolation is that the present type of Qulex mosquito has not developed any disease yet. The outbreak of Qulex mosquito continues from October to mid-March while December is the peak time.
Amid all this bad news there is good news too for the city-dwellers, particularly the SSC examinees, the worst victims of the mosquito menace, who were looking for effective steps from the Dhaka City Corporation which has an army of 600 fieldworkers and 400 fogger machines to fight the insects.
“Hopefully, we will be able to bring the current situation under control within a week,” the DCC Chief Health Officer said, adding, “Both fieldworkers and technical personnel will launch a special drive today (Wednesday). Spraying to destroy and kill larva and adult mosquitoes will be in operation.”
However, Dr Ashraf said it would not be possible to completely control the mosquito menace as some city areas will continue to remain as disturbing mosquito pockets. Basabo, Goran, Gendaria, Dholpur, Golapbagh, some parts of Rampura and Khilgaon as well as places surrounded by ditches and canals are “relatively vulnerable areas”.
He said it’s difficult to control mosquito population as it involves many factors and it’s also a wrong idea that only spray can eradicate mosquitoes.
“We are seeing such massive prevalence of mosquito for the first time. We saw it in the past too. The then governments had to resort to aerial spray of insecticides in 1988 and 1990 amid massive prevalence of mosquitoes, but it worked little,” the DCC Chief Health Officer recalled.
About the allegation of using adulterated insecticides by DCC, Dr Ashraf said the DCC never purchased adulterated anti-mosquito reagents and there is no possibility to buy such thing in the future. “A long process, from manufacturing stage of ingredients to its marketing, is followed by the DCC before procurement of insecticide to ensure its quality.”
The DCC chief health officer said they strictly maintain the standard of World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the government recommendations in using anti-mosquito ingredients. Several sample tests are carried out both at indoor and outdoor levels before and after procurement of chemicals for use in spray.
In this context, Dr Asrafuddin said once a particular mosquito medicine was branded as substandard by city-dwellers in Uttara, “ but the same item successfully eradicated lakhs of mosquitoes during recent Biswa Ejtema at Tongi.”
Replying to a query, the DCC chief health officer gave a political ground for intolerable mosquito attacks in recent days. He said mosquito population increased as spraying could not be carried out in the city for few days because insecticides could not be brought out from Chittagong due to a series of hartals.
Meanwhile, the newly formed Mosquito Control Committee has launched its crash programme to eradicate mosquito in the capital divided into 10 zones. “We hope to get a positive result within two weeks,” said Dr Shahidur Rahmnan, member-secretary of the committee.
After the formation of the committee in the first week of this month, authorities concerned held a meeting and worked out its plan to eliminate mosquitoes.
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