Although the Central Board of Health (CBH) commenced a series of
fogging exercises in a number of communities this week, Chief
Health Inspector Sharon Martin says households share the
responsibility in helping to prevent mosquito breeding.
Dengue fever, a disease caused by mosquitoes, reportedly is on the
increase here and in the region, largely due to the current rainy
season.
Amid rumours that Martin does not support fogging – which is an
effective way of controlling the mosquito population – she was
asked her position on this practice. Martin denied the claim, adding
that what she supports are good public-health practices.
If households can keep their respective water catchments safe from
becoming a mosquito breeding site, she says, then it reduces the
need for fogging, which tends to affect people with respiratory
problems.
Additionally, Martin says that fogging is not the answer to getting
rid of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that causes dengue fever, because
– while it kills the mosquitoes – it can also be dangerous to other
insects, such as honeybees, which are good for the environment.
In fact, Martin says, beekeepers have complained that fogging has
been detrimental to their operation, since they have lost bees when
the exercises were carried out.
Meanwhile, according to Martin, up to recently the department had
some challenges with one of its fogging trucks, which apparently has
broken down.
However, she is expressing optimism that the department will
receive the requisite transportation in order to carry out its
exercises.
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The lady is very correct.
Barbados has a very extensive fogging programme every year, almost all year round. It does not stop dengue.
What stops dengue is the prevention of mosquito breeding areas in houses and in the yard.
Fogging can help but it may be overvalued and definitely kills good insects as well.
Lol, she already said this.
So if the population does not prevent mosquitoes from breeding in their water catchment then the fogging continues, which is known to flare up allergies and complicate asthma, resulting in more hospital visits. Is this public health?
Yes this is a serious issue fogging is good and still bad ,after the fogging my allergies became severe and my nephew has serious issue with his asthma ,we all have to come together and try to help solve our mosquito problems , keep our yard and catchment protective of mosquitoes, I could not breathe the day of the fogging I had to closed all the windows for a while
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