Antigua and Barbuda

The use of the organophosphate Malathion has been an integral weapon against mosquitoes in the Caribbean region and beyond.  Study after study have confirmed the sustained efficacy of this product.  However, its overuse has caused real fears that the mosquito populations of our islands are developing such a high level of resistance to its effective is being seriously, if it has not happened already.

There is another downside that has been problematic for Vector Control operators region wide.  The smell!  The odour is not a pleasant one to be sure.  And folks hate it when they are enveloped in Malathion formulated fog during adulticiding operations.  It is, therefore, not uncommon for Vector Control personnel to be stoned and chased away by angry people because of this.

So in spite of how well Malathion continues to work, the Vector Control Unit of the British Virgin Islands’ Environmental Health Division made a conscious decision to phase it out completely and replace it with the odourless – and just as effective – synthetic pyrethroids and Insect Growth Regulators (IGR’s). 

There are still other alternatives available on the market that have yet to be explored.

Needless to say, there are Caribbean countries that still have Malathion in stock, the Commonwealth of Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda included.

Peter Roderick took notice of this issue and wrote the following Vox Pop in the Antigua Sun.  The first part of the two-part series has been reproduced below, but with some edits to improve clarity and statistical relevance.

Reports of an increase in Dengue Fever outbreaks in some countries around the Caribbean have prompted the Antigua Ministry of Health to undertake preventive countermeasures.  An ounce of prevention is generally reckoned to be better than a pound of cure.

Dengue is (a) serious viral infection which is spread by the bite of one (species) of mosquito, the Aedes aegypti.  The symptoms of Dengue include sudden fever, severe headache, severe muscle and joint pain, and a bright red rash which usually appears first on the legs and chest but can spread to cover the entire body. There may also be abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.  The disease can only be spread through the bite of an infected mosquito so there is no risk of direct contagion from one person to another.

In Brazil in 2008 a Dengue outbreak in Rio de Janeiro state (has) infected more than (57,000) people and resulted in (67) known deaths.  Another outbreak in 2007 produced 438,000 cases with 98 deaths.  Dengue is certainly a thing to avoid.

Avoiding Dengue means avoiding the mosquito which carries it.  Happily, at this time, Antigua is not known to be home to the Aedes aegypti.  Nonetheless, it only makes good sense to take reasonable precautions to keep the local mosquito population (at) a minimum.

In this context, the Ministry of Health has embarked on an intensified programme of fogging residential areas with insecticide with a view to mitigating the potential hazard of a Dengue outbreak here in Antigua.  According to Chief Health Officer Lionel Michael, they are conducting regular fogging operations in several locations around the island.  Fogging is performed in the early morning around 4 a.m. and in the evening at about 8 p.m.

Michael reports that his fogging operatives have encountered a near insurrection in certain communities from residents throwing stones at the drivers. Clearly not everyone is in favour of the fogging. So what is the problem?

It might be tempting for many to simply dismiss the stone throwers as misguided cranks but I would suggest that some further scrutiny of the situation is in order.

Michael himself has stated that the ministry uses the insecticide malathion. It is combined with diesel and dispersed into the air as extremely fine droplets from a slow moving vehicle.  It is the diesel which gives the insecticide fog its characteristic unpleasant smell.  Notwithstanding the bad smell, Michael and the Ministry of Health are adamant that fogging with malathion is perfectly safe.  Obviously the government would not be using anything which could be the least bit harmful to the public.

In addition to those objecting to the bad smell, some have suggested that this kind of fogging can cause cancer and other ailments. Could there be any truth to such claims?

Source: Antigua Sun

What say you?  Comment if you have a particular experience or view about Malathion.