COLOMBO MUNICIPALITY TO SET UP MOSQUITO TRAPS IN THE CITY

The Colombo Municipality is in the latter stages of setting up new traps for dengue mosquitoes, officials of the Health Department said. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Medical Health Officer Dr. Subash Mendis said the Department would complete setting up the traps next week.

The pilot project aimed at reducing the dengue mosquito population drastically in Colombo, was implemented in the New Bazaar area in Pettah.

Commenting on the project on a previous occasion, Colombo Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Ruwan Wijeymuni stated that the traps would destroy mosquito larvae and thereby reduce the mosquito population eventually wiping it out.

The trap, made of sustainable material, will create an ideal environment for the female mosquitoes to lay their eggs in. The larvae from these eggs will be killed within 24 hours by the specific mechanism built into the trap, Dr. Wijayamuni explained. “The unique formula of organic material in the trap will attract mosquitoes in the vicinity and provide a controlled environment for them to lay eggs. As the eggs will not develop any further than larvae we will be able to reduce the mosquito population,” he said.

The trap is designed especially for the Aedes Mosquito (responsible for transmitting dengue, zika, yellow fever and chicken gunya). The female mosquito lays eggs at least five times during its life span with about 200-300 eggs laid each time.

“The mosquito population therefore has an exponential growth. If we can have one such trap for every three houses, we will be able to reduce the mosquito population within a year or so,” he said.

The CMO said the trap which was used globally to study epidemics, was developed by PHI Sisira Basnayake and modified by Dr. Subash Mendis. “The main objective of the project is mosquito surveillance and as such we have laid out 1,000 traps under the pilot project.”

The trap did not need any pesticide or electricity and was completely environmentally friendly and self sustainable. “The trap becomes more effective as time goes by making it perfect to solve the issue at hand,” Dr. Wijayamuni concluded.

The mosquito population therefore has an exponential growth. If we can have one such trap for every three houses, we will be able to reduce the mosquito population within a year or so