The Health Department has objected to the use of mosquito larvicidal oil – a crude oil mixed with a detergent – sprayed in the city to prevent mosquito breeding as it is not the one recommended by the Centre.
The usage of this oil, which has been “ineffective to prevent growth of malaria carrying mosquito,” has also been found to be harmful to the environment when used for long as it is not dissolvable.
The Mangalore City Corporation has now been asked to use Temephos, an organophosphate compound, which is comparatively safe.
At a meeting on Wednesday with health workers involved in malaria control in the city, Mangalore City Corporation Health Officer Manjaiah Shetty said corporation workers were using mosquito larvicidal oil as a spray.
To this, Joint Director (Malaria and Filaria) B.G. Prakash asked Dr. Shetty to stop using it. “We have to make use of chemicals recommended by the Union government that are tried and tested for their effectiveness. We are in a critical state. Go for recommended chemicals that are effective,” Dr. Prakash said. Ineffectiveness of the spray has also been a cause for increase in the malaria cases, he said.
G. Narayana Swamy, consultant for National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, said with spraying of larvicidal oil, there will be a layer of oil over water that denies oxygen necessary for breeding of Aedes (that carries Dengue virus) and Anapholes (that carries malaria parasite) mosquitoes. “But this oil does not spread evenly on the stagnant water. There are some gaps where these mosquitoes breed,” he said.
While appreciating work of 42 health workers for initiating antilarval measures and also ensuring treatment of affected persons, Dr. Prakash said there was problem in the way spraying of the recommended chemical was being done.
“There are reports about some machines not functioning. There is lack of awareness about the extent of chemical to be used for spraying.”
There should be supervision of the way this spraying was being done.
