Carbon dioxide can control Aedes

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Fogging of mosquito breeding grounds can be a hit and miss affair because the mosquitoes may have already moved to another place.
Thus fogging must be done at the right place and time if Aedes, the primary vector for dengue and chikungunya, is to be eliminated, said University Malaya Medical Centre Vector Control Centre specialist Dr Wan Yusoff Wan Sulaiman.
"We assume where the Aedes breeding grounds are when we carry out fogging but the mosquitoes may have already moved to other places. The pesticide is only effective within a radius of 200 metres."
Dr Wan Yusoff said more effective measures, such as the systematic and continuous use of light traps, which release carbon dioxide, in Aedes breeding grounds should be employed to control the Aedes population.
"The impact of vector control on dengue fever in developed countries has been proven effective in controlling the transmission of the virus."
He said checks should be carried out at potential mosquito breeding grounds such as public toilets, construction sites, abandoned projects, parks and recreational areas, and clogged drains.
"Aedes eggs stick fast to the place where they are laid, such as pails and flower pots, and can withstand long dry spells. When their 'homes' become wet again, the eggs hatch. Thus we must scrub pails and flower pots throughly."
Their "stickiness" and ability to withstand long dry spells explained how Aedes aegypti eggs from Africa could survive a journey to Asia and Aedes albopictus eggs from Asia could make its way to the United States.