HCM City using thermal foggers to kill mosquitoes

HCM CITY — The HCM City Preventive Health Centre is piloting the use of thermal foggers to kill mosquitoes, replacing the ultra-low volume (UTL) cold fogger, as the number of Zika incidences continues to increase.

Dr Lê Hồng Nga, head of the health centre, said the machines spray dense fog that stays in the air and on plants longer than the UTL cold fogger machines.

However, the disadvantage of the dense thermal fogger is that the fog could impair drivers’ vision. It could also activate fire alarms when sprayed inside buildings.

City officials said the thermal foggers were being used outside buildings only.

Last Sunday, the city used the thermal foggers to spray the campuses of HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Thủ Đức District, the College of Finance and Customs in District 9, and the University of Transport and Communications in District 2.

Dormitories and university grounds are at high risk because of discarded water containers that have favorable conditions for mosquitoes.

As of December of 4, the number of Zika incidences in the city had increased to 94 in 19 out of 24 districts. Of these, 12 were pregnant women.

Although the centre has expanded the spraying of chemicals to kill mosquitoes, the Ministry of Health has urged households to clean their houses and neighbouring areas and get rid of containers of water, which could be home to mosquito larvae. —VNS