Kohima: Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) with DDT is found to be a safe and effective method for malaria control under National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP). Malaria is a disease associated with fever, which is transmitted by the bite of female anopheles mosquitoes. To prevent malaria, it is important to control the mosquito vector population, so that transmission of the disease may be stopped, stated a press release issued by NVBDCP, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare.
NVBDCP carries out IRS every year from mid-March to mid-August in two rounds. This covers the main transmission season of the vector mosquitoes. It is carried out in selected malaria endemic ‘high risk’ areas. In the selected villages, DDT spray is carried out covering all the households. On the appointed days, trained workers carry out the spray operation.
DDT spray is found to be safe if the technical guidelines are followed. Spray should be carried out indoors in all the rooms in the house. Food stuff, utensils and other household materials should be moved out or covered with plastic sheets before the spray operation. The sprayed surface should not be washed or plastered for 4 (four) months, the release added.
It further added that indoor spray is found to be effective in controlling mosquito population. When the adult mosquitoes rest on the sprayed surface, they are killed by the DDT. Spraying outside the house is not effective as it gets washed away with the rain. Also spraying outside the house poses environmental hazard.
Accept only Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) of DDT, NVBDCP Kohima advised. It urged to cooperate and support the spray workers so that technical guidelines and precautionary measures are followed. “Avoid misuse of DDT as it is supplied by the Government of India only for Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) under National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.”
