Survey to reveal routes of Aedes Aegypti mosquito

Survey to reveal routes of Aedes Aegypti mosquito
In the province of Coclé, health officials from the Vector Control Department of the Ministry of Health (MINSA) yesterday launched an entomological survey entitled "Life cycle of the Aedes Aegypti”.

According to a statement from Minsa, the survey will be conducted throughout the country and aims at discovering the level of infestation of the dengue-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Galindo Ruiz, head of Vector Control, explained that this survey will help health officials obtain a snapshot of the areas where the mosquito is moving more often to feed, mate, and hatch their eggs.

"A broader picture of the levels of infestation will enable us to increase our fumigation operations and more quickly eradicate the dengue vector," said Ruiz.

The areas of center-city Panama, San Miguelito, western Panama, and Chiriquí alone, account for an estimated 80 percent of classic and hemorrhagic dengue cases, which is why there are about 500 vector control agents rigorously "fumigating and eliminating potential breeding sites," he added.

Over the course of this year, Minsa has spent more than a million dollars on programs geared towards eliminating breeding sites and raising national awareness on the health risks associated with dengue and the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and applied over 8,000 sanctions for residences found to have breeding sites on their grounds.