Ads misleading people about dengue
Say experts
Most people remain misinformed about the breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes that carry the germs of dengue fever, some insect experts said yesterday.
They blamed some misleading advertisements in the mass media for spreading wrong information about the mosquitoes.
“We have noticed many advertisements show that Aedes mosquitoes breed in drains and ponds. This is not true,” said Touhid Uddin Ahmed, president of the Mosquito and Vector Management Association of Bangladesh (MVMAB).
The black and white stripped mosquitoes usually tend to lay eggs on water-filled buckets, tanks, jars, pots, drums, and tyres, he said, speaking at a press conference on how to prevent dengue fever.
The MVMAB, which has recently carried out tests on around 40,000 different containers in Dhaka to see which types of containers are the most suitable as Aedes' breeding grounds, organised the conference at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
In a presentation, MVMAB General Secretary Dr Manjur Chowdhury said some advertisements suggest people cleaning the drip pans of refrigerator or air conditioner to prevent Aedes' breeding, but studies show these areas have negligible level of breeding.
“People must be informed correctly on how to control the breeding of Aedes mosquito so that we can prevent dengue fever,” he added.
Dengue became endemic in Bangladesh in 2000 when more than 10,000 people were reportedly affected by the fever. This year around 300 people have got dengue till July, statistics of the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) show.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments