Dengue mosquito menace Simple Alternatives HIGHLIGHT

Dengue is now centre stage in the Newspapers, Radio and on TV.
However, the whole focus is on prevention – and rightly so But perhaps there are other approaches that have not been presented to the public and perhaps this letter could be used or more effectively in an editorial, to bring it to the notice of the public.
But first let us look at the facts.
 A week or so ago, it was reported in the Dally Mirror that Government researchers had found that there are now two mosquito types that carry the virus and that the Dengue-causing mosquitoes have also developed a resistance to the chemicals used in fogging and in drains.
 It is of course well known, that insects are able to develop resistance to chemical pesticides.
 So, if Mosquitoes can develop resistance to chemicals, we too can increase our NATURAL resistance to viral diseases. It is actually quite simple but we need to take action to increase our resistance (like taking action to go jogging for our health).

 Action to be taken: (1) Daily eat 5 or 6 leaves of RAW Holy Basil (Thulasi in Tamil, Maduruthala in Sinhala) in Mallums or salads as it is an “adaptogen” a bio-chemical that increases resistance to viral diseases (See attached article – from www.mercola.com) (2) Reduce and if possible eliminate foods that lowers your resistance to disease, such as refined white sugar (basically a chemical like any lab chemical), and therefore uses up vital minerals in order to be digested, lowering disease resistance, bone loss in older people etc.
 Use alternatives like Kitul or Coconut jaggery or treacle (pani).  (3) Reduce and if possible eliminate white flour products because they contain “Gluten” which also lowers resistance and even promotes ill health. (4) We all know that many farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides and we know from Facebook and you-tube that other local and imported food products too have chemicals.
 So choosing Organic foods may be wise even though it may be more expensive.

 With regard to the problem of resistance to Fogging Chemicals, a simple natural alternative is to use Neem (Kohomba) oil. This has to be mixed with a little detergent (such as dish-washing liquid) to counteract the “oiliness, so that it could be used as a spray. Unlike chemicals (which have a single chemical that kills), Natural insecticides have an arsenal of different bio-chemicals which is why insects cannot easily develop resistance to them For stagnant water in drains etc. (blocked by people using drains as rubbish dumps) , a simple and inexpensive alternative is to use waste engine oil. The oil forms a film on the surface and mosquito larvae in the Pupal Stage (when they are shaped like a “comma”) are air breathers and come to the surface to breath air. The oil blocks their breathing tube on the top of the “comma” and they die.

Note – the harmful chemicals used as additives in Engine oils are ‘burnt” in waste or used engine oil, so that the remaining oil is say 90 percent similar to the oils extracted from the earth and therefore biodegradable.