Anti-dengue day: ‘Women’s make-up attracts mosquitoes’

GCU conducting research on best biological agents for mosquito control.

LAHORE:

Women should avoid make-up and perfume as they contain lactic acid, which attracts dengue mosquitoes, said an expert at a seminar on dengue prevention at Bukhari Auditorium in Government College University Lahore on Sunday.

Public universities across the city were open and held seminars to raise awareness of the disease on Sunday.

“Most women catch dengue because of their make-up, which usually has a rich concentration of lactic acid. Women should avoid make-up at least in the mosquito breeding season,” said Dr AR Saleemi, a member of the Punjab environment tribunal, at the GCU seminar.

He said that besides lactic acid, mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, heat and perspiration emitted by human beings. He said that recent surveys had shown that laundry places and room coolers were the main mosquito breeding sites in Lahore.

The mosquitoes that spread dengue only lay eggs in clean and still water.

GCU Zoology Department Chairwoman Prof Nusrat Jahan recommended biological control of the mosquito population, saying that fumigation was useless because the mosquitoes had developed a resistance. Biological control is the use of natural predators to manage mosquito populations.

Prof Jahan said the biological agents that could be used include insects, fish and microbial pathogens. She said that the GCU was currently conducting important research into which biological agents were most effective at controlling the mosquito population.

She suggested that people build their own mosquito ‘ovi-traps’ at home.

Ovi-traps can be made by filling a black plastic container with water containing a thin paddle of wood and adding insecticide.

GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Khaleequr Rahman pledged to support the Zoology Department’s research on dengue control.

The Punjab University also remained open on Sunday and arranged a seminar and walk on campus. Vice Chancellor Prof Mujhaid Kamran said that no mosquito larvae had been found on the campus.

A seminar was also held at the University of Engineering and Technology.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2012.