Vulcanizing shops contribute a lot to dengue problem

A Filipino scientist who is now based in Germany has found out that discarded tires in vulcanizing shops have the highest number of mosquito larvae in Cebu.

Dr. Milagros Mahilum Greif of the German Mosquito Research Institute in an e-mailed press release to The FREEMAN said previous field studies she conducted on mosquito breeding sites here disclosed that vulcanizing shops contribute a lot to the dengue problem.

She said owners of vulcanizing shops display old tires outside their shops which are filled with water when rain comes.

She said this helps dengue-carrying mosquitos to multiply.

"It is necessary that the owner of the vulcanizing shops should be aware about this situation and only through their knowledge on dengue that they can participate in minimizing dengue problems," Greif said in her press release.

In relation to this, she said no amount of fogging can totally eradicate dengue because it can only kill 10 percent of the adult mosquitoes if hit by the chemical or substance used for fogging but that it could not kill the mosquito eggs and larvae.

Various researches on fogging show that mosquitoes will only develop resistance to chemicals.

In addition, fogging does not only kill mosquitoes but also beneficial insects as well, including butterflies and bees.

"Elderly people, children, pregnant women and those who are suffering from allergies are advised not to be present when fogging is conducted because they have a high risk of developing negative effects to the chemical," she further said.

As such, she is recommending instead for the removal of mosquito breeding sites by doing environmental sanitation buttressed by the knowledge of people on dengue and their discipline as the solutions in order to reduce to minimize the dengue cases and its fatalities.

In Cebu City alone, the City Epidemiology Surveillance and Statistics Unit (Cesu) has recorded a total 853 dengue cases with 23 fatalities from January 1 to August 24, which is almost twice the 467 cases in the same period last year. - Cristina C. Birondo