Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has decided to lob the BTI bacteria import issue into the Cabinet court
The Minister yesterday announced that he would submit a Cabinet paper with advice from medical experts next week seeking approval to import the dengue larvae destroyer from Cuba. "The import of the BTI Bacteria will depend on the Cabinet decision. If the Cabinet gives the nod, we will go ahead with aerial spraying, otherwise we will take action to destroy discarded materials in the identified places."
Minister Sirisena said that although the Health Ministry had decided to aerial spray BTI bacteria to destroy the dengue mosquito, especially in the Colombo city buildings,
condominiums, flats and the high-rise shopping complexes, some medical experts had advised him against it.
The experts had pointed out that the operation would be futile, as the BTI bacteria had a lifespan of only one week once sprayed. It would cost Rs.220 million per week’s stock. But the destruction of the discarded receptacles in the dengue mosquito identified areas could be done at low cost, he told The Island in a brief interview.
The Minister said that the Cuban Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Indra Lopez, had paid a courtesy call on him a few days ago and discussed the process of importing the bacteria from Cuba. But, some local medical experts met him a few days later and advised him not to import it. They pointed out that the effectiveness of the bacteria would be only one week. It would be useless to use the bacteria, because it would not be possible to destroy all possible dengue mosquito breeding places within one week.
According to the Health Ministry, the highest number of dengue cases had been reported from the Colombo District last year. Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia, Peliyandala, Kolonnawa and Gampaha were some of the areas which were identified as the worst dengue mosquito breeding places.
