Fernán Quirós, Minister of Health of the City of Buenos Aires, recalled in recent hours where on the body it is key to apply repellent to
reduce the chances
of being hit by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. However, his advice
against dengue
has
a problem
. A problem that at this point is already recurring.
The Buenos Aires official emphasized the preference for the
low flight
that this variety of mosquitoes usually has, which is why he suggested that people pay more attention to protecting the lower part of the legs, that is,
the ankles
, with repellent , since there the greatest number of bites would be concentrated.
The recommendation suffers from
an obstacle
that today borders on common sense, although at the same time it has in its favor - as will be seen later - the possibility of functioning as an "administrator" of that same obstacle. The reality is that
the biggest difficulty
people have today is not knowing where on the body to apply the repellent, but
where to get it
.
The lack of
aerosols, gels and creams
to protect against dengue has been a constant since the beginning of the year and now, given the growing fear of contagion of the virus - when the reported cases have already exceeded 150 thousand and there are 106 deaths - the
deficit of stock
has become even more evident.
Taken to the extreme and in
line with scarcity
, Quirós' indication could also serve - seasoning the drama with some humor - for those who are lucky enough to find the last container in the supermarket or perfumery and want to
make the product perform
by applying it as a priority. -weighing probabilities- on the ankles.
Applying repellent to the lower part of the legs is key because Aedes Aegypti bites more in that area.
Of course, if suddenly the problem of the shortage were to be resolved and there began to be a
greater availability of repellents
, it would be advisable to continue with the application on the rest of the body, especially those parts not covered by clothing. A priori, the higher the height,
the lower the chance
of being stung, although no one assures that this dimension grants indemnity.
Lack of repellents and exorbitant prices
The lack of repellents in businesses has taken things to
disconcerting levels
: for example, the fact that a small-sized orange Off spray costs up to
12 thousand pesos on the Internet
, when on the shelf it is usually around 3 thousand. And the green,
up to 17 thousand
. Both, with availability only in six days.
Clarín
consulted the main manufacturer and supplier of repellents in the country, the American laboratory SC Johnson, which with its portfolio accounts for
80 percent of the market
. At the closing of this note, 24 hours after raising the concern to find out the reasons for the shortages, there had been no response.
The questions had to do with whether - beyond the unusual demand due to the record epidemic - there had been a
miscalculation
of the stock levels necessary to supply the growing Argentine market. So much so that where there are any remaining bottles of repellent, the sale
is usually split
with a limit of containers per customer.
An Aedes aegypti mosquito seen through a microscope at the Center for Parasitological and Vector Studies, in La Plata. Photo: AFP
At the beginning of January there had already been problems with the supply of repellents and at that time SC Johnson explained: “The company has been working to
increase production
and delivery of products to distributors and retail customers. "All measures are being taken to
normalize supply
, adding production shifts that will work uninterruptedly." It was 83 days ago.
In this context of scarcity, there are reasonable public health initiatives, such as providing free repellent to the population. This is what is being evaluated, for example, in
Córdoba
, one of the provinces most affected by the epidemic. But the plan faces the same problem: the obstacle - they say there - is not the costs, but the
lack of suppliers
.
Mosquito repellent became a scarce and expensive commodity this season. Photo: Fernando de la Orden
The reasons why the repellent is conspicuous by its absence seem to have become the best kept secret of this unprecedented dengue season. There are those who talk about a lack of
aluminum containers
, but the reality is that many presentations come in plastic. Others mention the deficit of a key
imported
raw material
for manufacturing.
The truth is that there is no repellent, or there is very little and when it appears it flies like mosquitoes, so
taking care of dengue fever is increasingly difficult
. Although people can count on Quirós' “manual” to know where to apply the repellent, it does not have the
key element
to go from theory to practice.
P.S.