Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 12, 2014 News
(From the Desk of the Vector Control Director, Dr Reyaud Rahman)
Vector control is of significant importance, as it has a proven record of reducing or interrupting disease transmission.
Vector-borne diseases are estimated to account for 17 per cent of the global burden of all infectious diseases and over half of the world’s population is at risk of diseases such as Malaria and Dengue fever.
It should be highlighted that the same mosquito (Aedes aegypti) that transmits the dengue virus also transmits the Chikungunya virus. Due to the changing dimensions of the world with environmental changes, international travel and urbanization are causing vectors and vector-borne diseases to spread beyond borders.
Chemical control remains one of the most important elements in integrated vector management, if not the most important. When conducting mosquito control activities, two specific categories that are targeted are: larvacides (applied to mosquito breeding areas to kill mosquito larvae) and adulticides which target adult mosquitoes (applied by a mist or fogging).
These activities are targeted at the larva and the adult mosquito which would directly solve the mosquito problem once done correctly and in a controlled manner.
The insecticide used in Guyana to kill the larva is known as Abate (Temephous One percent).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a safe insecticide and stated that once used correctly, it should not present any hazard to humans. If overexposed to Abate it can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness and confusion, if exposed to very large dosages (for example in foods, etc.) this can pose serious health risks.
Malathion on the other hand is used to fog and kill adult mosquitoes which are known to fly around the environment. This is also a relatively safe insecticide also approved by the WHO for this use. Malathion is even found in some shampoos that are used to treat lice. Once fogged it gets into the environment and works by affecting the breathing of the mosquitoes and causes them to die.
If a human is exposed to Malathion, the body generally breaks down it quickly and excretes it readily. However in large quantities a human could have breathing difficulties and potentially be at serious risk. Some of the signs of brief exposure are nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, slow heart rate, weakness and abdominal pain.
Contrary to the views of some persons in society it should be noted that insecticides to control diseases such as Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, Malaria and other vector-borne diseases are efficient, and necessary to control the vector population (mosquito or otherwise).
Public health programmes that use insecticides to control vector populations have an excellent record for public health safety and an even more impressive record of protecting humans from vector-borne diseases. For this reason it is advisable to continue to use the recommended insecticide as the benefits far outweigh the risk.
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