Disinfestation of blackflies starts at La Nkwantanang municipality
Larviciding and disinfestation of blackfly infested communities in the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra Region has started.
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The exercise is expected to tackle the egg and larvae of blackflies causing havoc in the affected communities such as Kponkpo, Borga Town, Teiman, Oyarifa, Abokobi, Ayi Mensah, Danfa, Peduasi, Adenta and its environs.
The blackflies are responsible for transmitting river blindness or onchocerciasis when victims are exposed to their bites between one and two years.
The exercise, which is expected to be repeated in four weeks, is being spearheaded by the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly (LaNMMA) and the Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
The exercise
The Head of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit (EHSU) of the municipal assembly, Joseph Quarcoe, said the exercise was expected to tackle the larvae and eggs of blackflies which were responsible for the transmission of river blindness.
“We are here with the Vector Control Team of Zoomlion Ghana to execute the task, they are our partners; we have been working with them on issues of fumigation and disinfestation,” he said.
Importance
The Deputy Head of Vector Control of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Able Djangmah, said larviciding and disinfestation were crucial because the residents of the affected communities could not come out of their rooms.
He said the adult black flies had the ability to fly up to 20 miles or more to cause havoc and for that reason needed to be tackled head-on.
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Mr Djangmah, who had been fighting the black flies on the Black Volta River, said the insects bore a close resemblance to a mosquito ranging in varying sizes from five to 15 millimetres, dark and relatively robust, with an arched thoracic region.
He added that the insects would be tackled at the upstream, downstream and midstream of the Dakubi Stream to help reduce their impact in the community.
Community reaction
An aspiring Assembly Member of the Teiman Electoral Area, Alhaji Abdul Rahman, commended the assembly for the exercise and urged the affected communities to hope for the better.
Another aspiring Assembly Member, Daniel Kwaku Owusu, added that children had been encouraged to cover their bodies with clothing and apply mosquito repellent to repel the insects.