The Communicable Disease Control (CDC) unit of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will launch a countrywide survey by the end of this month to indentify different species of mosquitoes and to prepare an action plan for mosquito control.
Primarily, a total of eight teams will visit four divisions-Barishal, Khulna, Chattogram and finally Dhaka- for this purpose.
"The survey will be conducted as part of the integrated vector management programme. Source of aedes is the main issue in controlling virus-borne diseases. But there are other mosquito species like culex, anopheles which are also problem for people," line director of CDC Dr Sanya Tahmina said on Sunday.
In a briefing, she said CDC has resource constraint to conduct the survey in all districts; although it targets to send its survey teams by the end of this month, the source of fund is still not fixed.
Although the teams will visit Barishal division first, the places are not fixed yet, she said, adding the teams will visit Jashore, Kushtia and Khulna districts under Khulna division as the numbers of patients are high in Kushtia and Jashore.
Regarding finding of albopictus during a survey of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) on aedes conducted last month, Ms Sanya said she was not aware of the findings of albopictus.
"We will send our own team to see on our own what type of larvae they have found. IEDCR does not have the capacity to carry out survey as their team does not have any entomologist," she said.
Aedes albopictus, from the mosquito family, also known as (Asian) tiger mosquito or forest mosquito, is a mosquito native to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia; however, in the past few decades, this species has spread to many countries through the transport of goods and international travel.
Albopictus is an epidemiologically important vector for the transmission of many viral pathogens, including the yellow fever virus, dengue fever, and Chikungunya fever, as well as several filarial nematodes such as Dirofilaria immitis. Aedes albopictus is capable of hosting the Zika virus.
Although IEDCR conducted the survey at grassroots level, they have not yet submitted any official report to CDC.
But in a press briefing last week, IEDCR director Mirzadi Sebrina told the media that they have found albopictus in Kushtia, Meherpur and Barishal.
Ms Sanya suggested continuous water supply and continuing cleaning programmes to control the aedes breeding grounds.
She said they have routine survey in March, pre and post monsoon.
When asked about surveillance programme on aedes and outbreak of other mosquito borne diseases, Ms Sanya said only IEDCR has the mandate for surveillance, not CDC. IEDCR conducts patient surveillance but CDC does survey the density of mosquito population, she added.
She, however, expressed the hope that the number of dengue-affected people will not increase further although CDC earlier said September might be a risky month.
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