What is the role of insecticide spray in control of an outbreak of DF/DHF?
Residual insecticide spray in the household where a case of DF/DHF is reported and its neighbourhood kills the infected mosquitoes and thus prevents its further spread. However, generalized use of insecticides as space spray or ultra low volume spray is only of a limited value as these reduce the mosquito population only for a short period. In fact they lead to a false sense of security. Therefore, they are used as a supplement to source reduction and anti-larval measures which produce a lasting effect.
