TITLE: Effectivity of the ovicidal larvicidal trap in controlling the Dengue Vector in a barangay in San Juan City

INTRODUCTION The Philippines is one of the dengue endemic countries in Asia. The Department of Health has recorded A total of 62,156 dengue cases was reported nationwide from January 1 to July 13, 2013. This is 16.98% higher compared to the same time period last year of 51,597 cases. In Metro Manila, 4153 cases were reported and in San Juan City, 62 cases were reported compared to last years 178. The Ovicidal larvicidal trap (OL trap) has been used as one of the measures of dengue surveillance since the 1960s. A number of studies have been done using OL that has shown favourable outcomes. The OL trap is made of a black container that attracts the mosquito to lay their eggson the lawanit strip. Itprevents the larvae from maturing into dengue-carrying

mosquitos. Thus, it is a modern yet simple technology that significantly decreases the incidence of dengue.

OBJECTIVES 1. To introduce the use of ovicidal larvicidal trap (OL trap) and its significance in dengue control 2. To document the ova and or larvae index per community. SIGNFICANCE OF THE STUDY Because peak season of dengue is upon us, the study emphasizes that Ovicidal larvicidal trap (OL trap) is an easy and cost-effective means of dengue control in the community.

METHODOLOGY The OL trap is composed of a black painted can or black plastic cup, ovicidal / larvicidal (OL) pellets, a small lawanit paddle (1 inch x 6.5 inches) and 250mL of water. 250mL tap water is poured into the black plastic cup until the lined mark above the printed DOST logo. The pack of OL pellets is added into the cup. Then the lawanit paddle is saturated with the solution and placed into the cup with the rough side facing up. The lawanit is ideal because of its high absorbency and the rough surface makes it easier for mosquito eggs to adhere to it. The cups were distributed along every street in Barangay Batis, at least 4 houses apart. 1 trap was laid in each house, either in the kitchen, under the sink or in a dark damp part of the laundry area. Specific instructions were given to the household members to protect the cup from direct sunlight and rainfall, be careful not to spill the contents and most importantly, keep out of reach of children. Cups that were not returned, found without water or were not retrieved at the time of collection were excluded from the study. After 7 days, the cups were collected. Water was disposed by adding boiling water to destroy any surviving larvae. This process was repeated 3 times, once every 7 days for 3 weeks. The lawanit boards were analyzed at the University of the East, Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center for ova under a stereoscope. An ova index of more than 10% is considered significant infestation. The boards found with Aedes aegypti ova were burnt to prevent the eggs from maturing. The boards without Aedes aegypti ova were cleaned and reused.

DISCUSSION Dengue is the most common arthropod-borne viral (Arboviral) illness in humans. Globally, 2.5-3 billion individuals live in approximately 112 countries that experience dengue transmission. Annually, approximately 50-100 million individuals are infected. It is caused by infection with 1 of the 4 serotypes of dengue virus, which is a Flavivirus (a genus of singlestranded nonsegmented RNA viruses). Infection with one dengue serotype confers lifelong homotypic immunity to that serotype and a very brief period of partial heterotypic immunity to

other serotypes, but a person can eventually be infected by all 4 serotypes. Several serotypes can be in circulation during an epidemic. Dengue is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, which are widely distributed in subtropical and tropical areas of the world. Aedes aegypti, the principal mosquito vector of dengue viruses is an insect closely associated with humans and their dwellings. People not only provide the mosquitoes with blood meals but also water-holding containers in and around the home needed to complete their development. The mosquito lays her eggs on the sides of containers with water and eggs hatch into larvae after a rain or flooding. A larva changes into a pupa in about a week and into a mosquito in two days. People also furnish shelter as Aedes aegypti preferentially rests in darker cool areas, such as closets leading to their ability to bite indoors. Female Aedes mosquitoes are daytime feeders. They inflict an innocuous bite, usually on the back of the neck and the ankles, and are easily disturbed during a blood meal, causing them to move on to finish a meal on another individual, making them efficient vectors. Not uncommonly, entire families develop infection within a 24- to 36-hour period, presumably from the bites of a single infected mosquito. No one is exempted from mosquitos bites. A female mosquito needs to bite at least three human victims in order to complete her blood meal. This leads to virus transmission. Every time an infected mosquito bites, it transfers the virus. When blood meal is satisfied or completed, the female mosquito lays her eggs. This is the time the OL mosquito trap performs its functions to impede mosquitoes regeneration. The OL mosquito trap system is designed to attract female mosquitoes to lay its eggs on the trap. Basically, the black paint or black container lures the female mosquitoes. Also, the strip of wet lawanit board inside the trap creates optimum condition that adds up to the level of attraction for female mosquitoes. The OL mosquito traps natural ovicide and larvicide is made from organic compounds derived from plants. These pellets contain non-toxic substances safe to human. It is very difficult to control or eliminate Aedes aegypti mosquitoes because they have adaptations to the environment that make them highly resilient, or with the ability to rapidly bounce back to initial numbers after disturbances resulting from natural phenomena (e.g., droughts) or human interventions (e.g., control measures). One such adaptation is the ability of the eggs to withstand desiccation and to survive without water for several months on the inner

walls of containers. For example, if we were to eliminate all larvae, pupae, and adult Aedes aegypti at once from a site, its population could recover two weeks later as a result of egg hatching following rainfall or the addition of water to containers harboring eggs.

RESULTS Of the 120 cans distributed all over Barangay Batis, 87 cans were retrieved, this was a loss of 27% or a total of 33 cans. Most of the cans were lost in the flood, toppled over, or homeowners were not available on the day of collection. The 87 lawanit strips were analyzed under the stereoscope at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Department of Microbiology. At week 1, 32 strips were positive for the black, grain-like A aegypti ova, 76 were negative and 12 were not returnedor found without water. This makes a total ova index of 26%. Ova index was computed as number of positive traps divided by total number of paddles collected x 100%. Classification of index was as follows: 1. 0- safe; 2. 1- 10- alert; 3. > 10priority risk area. The entire barangay is listed as a priority risk. At week 2, 20 strips were positive for A aegypti ova, 69 were negative and 31 were excluded from the study. The poor collection was mosly due to the fact that there was flooding in the barangay that week and there were a lot of cans that were either not found or knocked over. This makes a total ova index of 16.7%. The entire barangay is still a priority risk. At week 2, 6 strips were positive for A aegypti ova, 81 were negative and 33 were excluded. This makes a total ova index of 5%. The barangay is no longer a priority risk.

CONCLUSION