Fogging for mosquito control could have adverse effects on health, as the chemical used in the operations could cause cancer, say expert entomologists.
The chemical Malathion, used in fogging, is carcinogenic, and its use should be limited to situations of emergency, says B. Reddya Naik, Director of the Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Parasitology affiliated to Osmania University.
“Fogging should be done only when the spread of mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases reach an epidemic stage. Continuous anti-larval activity is the only effective vector control measure,” Dr. Naik said, speaking on the sidelines of the ‘World Mosquito Day’ event at the institute on Saturday.
However, municipal corporations give in to public demand and pressures from people’s representatives to carry out fogging operations. Dr.Naik, incidentally, developed ‘plant mediated silver nano particles’, which apparently showed good results in vector control.
“GHMC needs a master plan for vector control, which incorporates all anti-larval operations to be carried out in measured, scientific and continuous manner. Cities like Bangalore have it. There are many experts who can prepare the master plan if a request is placed,” Dr.Naik said.
Inaugurating the Ninth National Conference of Medical Anthropodology on ‘Emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases: surveillance and control’, chief guest Ramachandru Tejavath, the special representative of Telangana State in New Delhi, said tribal people in Orissa and Telangana are helplessly falling prey to vector-borne diseases. Even national capital is suffering from the spread of Dengue fever, though populated by urban, educated people.
Sanitation is everybody’s responsibility, and NGOs and corporates should take active part in providing the sanitation facilities, he said.
GHMC Commissioner B.Janardhan Reddy stressed on the importance of spreading awareness about vector-borne diseases. Lack of awareness is a major problem, as predominant majority of even educated persons are “scientific illiterates”, he said.
Vice-Chancellor of the Osmania University, S.Ramachandram hoped that scientific innovations will soon find a way to disable mosquitoes from spreading the parasite.
