BTI bacteria to fight dengue in Kandy, Gampola, Akurana first

Nadira Gunatilleke

The Health Ministry will buy 10,000 litres of Bacillus Thuringiensis (BTI) bacteria from Cuba by August. Around 4,000 litres of BTI bacteria will be used for the pilot project to be implemented in the Akurana, Kandy and Gampola areas, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, the rest of the bacteria (6,000 litres) will be used for dengue control in other parts of the country.

The BTI bacteria will not be air sprayed as planned before due to the uncertainty of the possibility of dropping the bacteria to all dengue mosquito breeding sites. The BTI bacteria will be sprayed to all mosquito breeding sites by National Malaria Control Program workers.

The BTI bacteria will be made available in 30 millilitre bottles. It will be given to the public free of charge.

Thereafter the locally made BTI bacteria will be used to control dengue. The locally made BTI bacteria will be available in the open market shortly, he said.

BTI is a bacteria that produces protein crystals with larvacidal activity against mosquitoes.