Pregnant women to be given Aedes aegypti repellents

The federal government will provide free mosquito repellents to pregnant women enrolled in the Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer program, as an attempt to step up its efforts to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Besides dengue and chikungunya fever, the mosquitoes are a vector for Zika virus, which has caused a surge in microcephaly cases in the country.

The Minister of Health, Marcelo Castro, said he will meet repellent manufacturers on Wednesday (Jan. 27) to discuss the feasibility of providing the required amount. He said the government estimates about 400,000 pregnant women are enrolled in the Bolsa Família program throughout the country.

Castro met recently with other ministers and President Dilma Rousseff to discuss its mosquito eradication actions. On Friday (29), the president will discuss the issue with state governors on a video conference from the national control and coordination center of the National Plan Against Microcephaly in Brasília.

The health minister said the government is planning to send out 220,000 men from the Armed Forces to “visit every house” handing out leaflets and giving recommendations and encouraging residents to join the efforts against Aedes aegypti.

“This mosquito has been in Brazil for 30 years and we haven't been able to eliminate it. Besides dengue, it is spreading chikungunya fever and particularly Zika. We need to rally the communities [against it],” Castro said. He said the government will spare no expense and will “do everything in its power” to fight the mosquitoes as its primary strategy to prevent Zika virus.

Translated by Mayra Borges