Deepa a mother of two, lost her nine year-old daughter Sulakkana to the dreaded Dengue last year. Desperately wanting to protect her only son, she uses two mosquito coils day and night to keep the sting away.
With Dengue claiming 112 lives and diagnosed cases topping 15,000, people are turning increasingly to the use of coils to protect them from mosquito bites.
According to the Health Ministry, about five crater loads of mosquito coils are used daily islandwide while Western Province with the highest number of dengue deaths, 73, burns up coils worth Rs. 50 million a day.
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| Prof. Ravindra
Fernando |
However, health officials warn that the use of coils can aggravate health conditions of those prone to allergic reactions and respiratory illnesses.
Colombo University’s senior professor of forensic medicine and toxicology Ravindra Fernando, said, ‘Pyrethroids’, the active chemical ingredient in coils is considered the least toxic of insecticides and regarded as safe for humans.
According to him, the pyrethroid pesticide, allethrin is used widely as an insecticide both in the home environment and commercially. It is also used to treat scabies and head lice.
“There are 21 products of mosquito coils that contain allethrin as an active ingredient. This chemical is also found in electronic mosquito repellent vapours and mosquito mats, in household insecticides such as pest sprays and even in shampoos. Pyrethroids is 2250 times more toxic to insects than mammals as they have a smaller body size and lower body temperature,” Prof. Fernando said.
However, he stressed that long term exposure to the smoke could trigger a number of allergy-related diseases and sometimes neurological illnesses.
Medical Research Institute (MRI) Director Dr. Anil Samaranayake said, the inhalation of smoke generated from the coils can result in a number of illnesses from a simple cough to chronic bronchitis.
“Asthma, wheeze, eye irritation, difficulty in breathing, headache, bronchitis, throat irritation and swelling of oral mucous are some of the short term effects but continuous exposure can even affect the lungs, liver, kidney and male/female fertility,” he said.
Unfortunately, there is no medical research on whether burning mosquito coils induces sleep.
According to the Health Ministry, a coil should be burnt for half an hour with doors and windows closed and then it is important to open the windows for about five minutes to let the smoke out. One should not go to sleep with a coil burning nor should fans be turned on as the air will fill up with ash and smoke.
Meanwhile, Welisara Chest Hospital has seen an increase in the number of patients suffering from respiratory diseases in the recent years. Hospital Director Dr. G. Wijesooriya told the Sunday Times, the Asthma clinic was seeing an increase in the number of patients and mosquito coils and other pollutants were suspected to be contributory factors.
Dr. Bandu Gunasena, Consultant Chest Physician at the hospital said chemical agents in mosquito coils can result in chronic conditions particularly in those already suffering from respiratory illnesses.
Meanwhile, the highest number of dengue deaths was reported from Colombo District with 51, followed by 16 deaths in Gampaha District. The highest number of cases islandwide was reported in July with 4483 compared to 3467 in June and 1965 in May. Batticaloa and Kalutara Districts also reported an increase in the number of cases.
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| One should not go to sleep with the coil burning. Pix by Mangala Weeraskera |
The Sunday Times learns that the Health Ministry will obtain the support of the Police to conduct inspection of residences, state and private institutions, parks and construction sites.
“The Defence Secretary has appointed a special police team headed by DIG Anura Senanayake and Puttlam DIG Ravi Wijegunawardene,” Police Environment Unit Director SP Quintus Raymond said.
Raids will be conducted with the joint effort of officers from the Environment Unit, community police officers, Medical Officers of Health(MOHs), Regional Directors of Health Services, commissioners of local governments and Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) he said.
“The Police have no powers to take action against those found breeding mosquitos and currently revisions are being made to the Mosquito Breeding Prevention Act,” the SP said.
Why not fight dengue with homeopathy?
Homeopaths Without Borders claims speedy cures of
dengue-like viruses
With dengue and viral flu epidemics reaching unprecedented levels, the Sri Lanka representative of Homoeopaths Without Borders says homeopathy has a safe and effective cure for these ailments, and appeals to the Health Ministry to consider it in a situation where western medicine is apparently not helping to overcome the epidemic.
Representative Joe De Livera, with 40 years of experience in this field of medical science, told the Sunday Times in an interview that he treated two patients a few days ago, both of whom presented an unknown malaise, which he presumed was caused by a Flu Virus of unknown origin.
The symptoms presented were almost identical in both cases, with both waking up with a blinding headache, which later spread to their whole body by noon, along with excruciating body pain and a temperature accompanied by nausea. The patients feeling cold and wanting to be covered during the heat of the day.
“It is likely that this virus may have been the dengue virus, as we have been in the throes of a mosquito borne epidemic of dengue within the past few year. Statistics show that thousands have been affected, while this year alone 114 people have died and more than 14,000 peopel are known to have been afflicted due to dengue.
Homeopathy remedy was used by Dr. Imthias Latif, who treated patients at Municipal Centres in Kompanna Veediya, Kuppiyawatta, Mattakkuliya and at the Epidemiology Centre at the Colombo Municipality,” Mr De Livera said.
According to him, thousands of patients were treated by this Homeopath, and a majority of patients confirmed they were cured overnight of their dengue fever. A meeting was held at the WHO Head Office in Colombo, in August last year, attended by the WHO representative in Sri Lanka, Dr. Mehta, Director of Health WP, Dr Harsha de Silva, and Municipal officials and many doctors, about promoting the use of homeopathic remedies. But unfortunately, follow-up action was not taken.
Dengue is accepted as a virus borne disease for which there is no specific drug that medicine can offer. Treatment comprises in keeping the patient comfortable by controlling the temperature which can rise to extreme levels, by the use of analgesics and saline drips.
Mr. De Livera says homeopathy has a specific remedy which has been prescribed and used for more than two centuries, but unfortunately, not accepted officially by the western medical profession, as homeopathy’s concept of using remedies which are highly diluted to infinitesimal levels, does not qualify for any logical acceptance of their efficacy, although it has invariably been proved to work to cure many diseases such as Asthma, Eczema, Gastritis or GERD and Fever, to mention just four common diseases that affect people.
Those interested in obtaining more information on this treatment could contact Mr. De Livera on www.joedelivera.com or call 2380001 / 2696 789 |
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