Dengue-stricken Sri Lanka to have imported larvicide this month

The Secretary of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health, Palitha Mahipala says that the larvicide BTI bacteria, to be imported from Cuba this month, will be released soon after receiving to arrest the mosquito-born dengue epidemic.



A BTI bacteria stock of 10,000 liters is to be arrived in the country shortly. The Ministry has planned to spray the bacteria in selected areas with a high spread of dengue as a pilot project.
The Epidemiology Unit of health Ministry reported 177 deaths from dengue among 24,250 cases with nearly 4,000 cases and 45 deaths reporting from Colombo District. Gampaha and Jaffna districts also reported high incidents of the epidemic.
The Ministry Secretary also said that the Industrial Technology Institute has also agreed to issue 5,000 liters of BTI bacteria that was locally manufactured.
Last month the health authorities said that the locally produced bacteria would be issued to market so that the people can acquire it to destroy mosquitoes. However, neither the locally produced nor imported bacteria appeared yet.
The release of the locally produced stock is reportedly in limbo over a dispute between the Registrar of Pesticides and the Institute on the labeling.