BTI bacteria from Lanka and Cuba to combat dengue

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry which said that both BTI bacteria produced locally and imported from Cuba would be used as a subsidiary strategy to destroy dengue mosquito larvae, called upon the public to vigorously continue the eradication of mosquito breeding places warning that dengue which has been on the wane recently is likely to raise its head once again with the onset of the North East monsoon in mid-October.

The Ministry in a press release yesterday said that Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) is the only local institution which has so far produced the BTI bacteria locally in a scientific manner and sought Ministry approval to produce it on a commercial scale.

It said claims made by certain other institutions about successfully experimenting the bacteria production locally without a favourable response from the Ministry was completely false since the Ministry has not received any information from any institution other than the ITI.

The release said however Bio Power Lanka Private Ltd has started producing the BTI bacteria at present and it would register this product with the Insecticide Registration Office within the next week.

Dr. Radhika Samarasekera in collaboration with the Colombo University, Peradeniya University Post Graduate Institute of Medicine and the MRI has developed the BTI bacteria for the ITI, and it would be used to control dengue, malaria, filaria and Japanese Encephalitis causing mosquitoes in the country.

According to Dr. Samarasekera the ITI will complete its production of BTI within the next 40 days, the release added.