The government has decided to import four mosquito repellent medicines to destroy Aedes mosquitoes amidst the worst dengue outbreak to hit the country.
The Dhaka North and South city corporations came under fire when it came to light that the repellents it was using has failed to control the mosquito menace currently plaguing the country.
However, the government’s choice of the four new medicines has also raised questions on how safe they are for both humans and the environment.
Thailand government withdrew two of those medicines as they are harmful for humans and Bangladesh’s Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) cancelled the registration of one medicine on account of not being environment friendly.
Meanwhile, Entomologists have said that much controversy surrounds the remaining one medicine. This puts the city corporation that has already failed once to bring appropriate medicine, in a tight spot.
During a special meeting organised by the two city corporations on Jul 28 where top government officials including the prime minister’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Affairs Coordinator Abul Kalam Azad it was decided that the following medicines will be imported:
Malathion 57% EC, Malathion 5% RFU, Deltamethrin+PRO -2% EW and Pirimiphos- Methyl 50% EC.
The DAE cancelled the registration of Malathion 57% EC in 2007 for the adverse effects it has on the environment.
The then undivided Dhaka City Corporation also used this medicine around the year 2003 and it is one of the proposed medicines despite its banned status.
Although he couldn’t specifically name which medicines will be imported, a health official with Dhaka South City Corporation Dr Md Sharif Ahmed confirmed two of them have been banned by Thailand.
“If Thailand has frozen it, can we actually bring it? Their condition is worse than ours,” he said and added that if they aren’t environment-friendly they cannot be imported.
He said that field tests have to be carried out to test the efficacy of the medicines after bring brought in.
“The Aedes mosquito larvae will need to be kept in glucose for 24 hours so that it grows into a full fledges mosquitoes. Field test will be carried out after that. When we see a medicine working we will ask the government to issue registration.”
He said that the new medicines will be registered under the city corporations to speed up the process.
Saying that samples of the new medicines will be tested with the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) he added that the city corporations will sign a contract with the exporters after the reports come out.
The processing will start after the contract is signed after which the medicines will be bought in bulk to be used as per instructions.
“Malathion is used throughout the world, but there are some issues regarding Pirimiphos- Methyl 50% EC,” said Jahanginagar University Entomology Department Professor Kabirul Bashar.
He added that since Malathion 57% EC has been banned by the agricultural extension, their director who was in the meeting should have raised the issue.
“I’m a member of that committee and no specific medicines were named there,” he said and added that it was decided that four or five medicines will be registered so that if one is ineffective another can be used
One director of the agricultural extension AZM Sabbir Ibn Jahan declined to comment saying that the decision came from the top echelon when he was asked why banned medicines were being brought back.