INDISCRIMINATE fumigation is not an effective method to combat dengue-carrying mosquitoes, the Department of Health said on Thursday.
“We are not saying that fogging is prohibited. What we are saying is that it should be done only when there is an outbreak or if an area is a hotspot for dengue,” said Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH dengue control and prevention program manager.
Lee Suy said fogging requires timing to make sure that more mosquitoes are eliminated.
“It should be done two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset because these are the peak biting time of mosquitoes,” he said. “It should not be done if there is rain or if the wind is strong because you will not be able to target the mosquitoes.”
He said indiscriminate fogging might cause mosquitoes to develop resistance to insecticide.
To effectively kill the mosquitoes and the larvae, four cycles of fumigation should be done in the same area for four consecutive weeks. Lee Suy said the most effective way to curb the spread of dengue is to search for breeding sites of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and then destroy them.
He added that doing routine fogging is not advisable because this would only make the community complacent. (DOH)
