Mosquito repellent curtains distributed among slum dwellers

Project Mosblock has recently been launched to combat the ever-growing mosquito-borne disease by providing a special type of curtain to slum dwellers in the capital.

Under a pilot study of the project, curtains made with zebra pattern cloth were distributed among the dwellers of the capital's Korail Slum, one of the largest slums in Bangladesh, reads a press release.

The project officials said zebra stripes ward off blood-sucking insects including mosquitoes by dazzling them to the point where they are unable to land on the animals' skin.

International studies found that the white and black stripes on the zebra's body caused discomfort in the compound eyes of the mosquito. For this reason, many ethnic people living in the forests draw such stripes on their bodies and faces to safeguard the mosquito bite.

The project officials hoped that the project initiative would contain the mosquito-borne disease outbreak in the capital's slums.

Direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Akash Digital TV and advertising agency Grey have partnered for the project as part of their effort to ease the severity of the mosquito disease among marginal communities across the country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of dengue cases increased over 8 fold over the last two decades, from 505,430 cases in 2000, to over 2.4 million in 2010, and 5.2 million in 2019. 

Also, reported deaths between the years 2000 and 2015 increased from 960 to 4032, affecting mostly the younger age group.

Bangladesh saw its worst encounter with the Aedes mosquito-borne disease in 2019, with over 100,000 afflicted by the virus and 148 had died of dengue. The death toll from dengue has surpassed 100 in 2021, the second-highest annual tally recorded in Bangladesh.

The marginalised communities living in the slums face most of the severity of the disease. Their inability to buy mosquito repellent products and the misconception that mosquitoes are inactive during daylight worsened the situation, the officials said.

The free distribution and setting up of the curtains were conducted by volunteers of Akash Digital TV across the slum. They also carried out an awareness campaign.  

Suhana Akter, a resident of the Korail slum, said "Mosquito problem is very intense here (Korail slum). Although it is a bit comfortable at night under mosquito nets, it is very painful all day long. I am much better now after installing this curtain in the house. We are seeing much fewer mosquitos now in our homes. Children can study and play at home in peace and we can work comfortably."