Bti not a miracle :

Public participation vital

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

The two Cuban consultant epidemiologists now in Colombo carrying the much talked about bacteria to kill Aedes aegypti, the deadly dengue mosquitoes said that the Cuban 'discovery' - Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) - was not a 'miracle' to prevent dengue but would give best results if people destroy the mosquito 'hot spots' in their environments.

The two experts, the Chief Epidemiologist of Cuba Dr. Aramis Martinez and Dr. Yelina Camero told the media that the dengue eradication was made possible in Cuba mainly due to wide public participation and the Bti. "We do not have dengue, malaria or filaria as we had adopted a very comprehensive method where all mosquito borne disease control units come under one umbrella and worked together", he said.

He said that mosquito control was not only the responsibility of the Health Ministry but also of all citizens of the country. "In Cuba, from the political leadership down to the masses all got involved in the getting rid of the menace", he said adding a well planned vector survey to identify the behaviour of mosquitos is also vital in destroying mosquito breeding places.

According to Dr. Martinez, the environmental friendly Bti only kills the mosquitoes and it does not affect drinking water.

"Ten drops of Bti is enough to kill the mosquitoes in 50 litres of water", he said.

The two experts are scheduled to visit highly vulnerable areas and study the Sri Lankan situation during their one month long stay in the country before fully recommending use of Bti.

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the Bti would be used after a comprehensive study. Outlining the powers given to PHIs and MOHs to take legal action against those who have mosquito breeding places in their premises said the health authorities would take legal action against all including residents, local authorities, Provincial Councils and private and State institutions if they were found guilty of having mosquito breeding places in their premises.

The dengue threat which showed an increasing trend a few weeks ago has reduced with 299 reported cases and three deaths.