A General Manager for Zoomlion Ghana Limited Esther Abayeta is advocating frequent massive fumigation against bed bugs in senior high schools across the country in a bid to end the continuous outbreak.
Senior high schools have over the years been grappling with bed bug infestation, mostly in their dormitories and classrooms; a situation authorities say, has become worrying for them and their students.
According to authorities at most of the schools which have so far been fumigated against the insect as part of the ongoing nationwide fumigation and disinfection of SHSs against bed bugs and covid-19, the students have been having sleepless nights.
Though some of the schools occasionally undertake a limited fumigation exercise in their schools, authorities say there is always infestation after few weeks.
Commenting on the issue during fumigation and disinfection of SHSs in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions, Mrs Abayeta who is the Zoomlion General Manager the three regions said the situation requires frequent massive fumigation.
“…when we got to some of the schools, in fact, especially the dormitories, we could see blood all over the walls and some of the senior house masters and mistresses told us that the blood on the walls are actually blood from bed bugs,” she told journalists on Tuesday.
She observed the blood sucking insects had become a problem in the schools, noting “when we moved some of the mattresses, you could see some holes and a whole lot of them”.
With the ongoing massive fumigation exercise by Zoomlion in senior high schools, she was optimistic the situation will be brought under control and create a conducive environment for the students upon resumption of schools from the covid-19 induced break.
“We really believe that with this exercise we will be able to eliminate bed bugs in our various secondary schools,” she expressed.
That, Mrs Abayeta indicated, is because the WHO-approved oil-based pesticide being used for the exercise is very effective against the blood sucking insects
Notwithstanding, she advised the Ghana Education Service to make the exercise a regular one in the schools to ensure total elimination of the insects.
“I will recommend that we shouldn’t wait for the schools to be infected with bed bugs again before we come in to spray but we should do it periodically, maybe twice in a year. With that we will be able to eliminate it totally,” she advised.
The GES-Zoomlion project
On the back of the outbreak of covid-19, the government through the Ghana Education Service contracted waste management giant Zoomlion Ghana Limited to disinfect senior high schools across the country against the deadly virus.
As part of the project, the waste experts were asked to also take advantage of the schools closure to do massive fumigation of these schools against the bed bug infestation which has become a major problem in the schools.
Hundreds of schools in the Central, Western, Volta, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo have so far been fumigated and disinfected against bed bugs and covid-19 with a lot more being done currently in other parts of the country.
By 3news.com|Ghana