Dengue menace: High demand leads to mosquito repellents crisis in markets

High demand for mosquito repellents

• Demand for Aerosol increased 30% in the last two weeks
• Odomos cream out of stock for a month, according to Lazz Pharma
• Aerosol price increased by Tk35 to 50 in a span of three months.
• Mosquito nets price hiked by Tk50-200 depending on size, quality
• Dengue deaths exceeded the 400-mark

With the surge in dengue cases and fatalities, demand and price of mosquito repellent products like coils, sprays, and creams are surging. 

Especially, concerns about children's vulnerability are driving up the demand for Odomos, a popular repellent cream.

Naznin Zaman, a resident of Boro Moghbazar, told TBS, "To protect my schoolgoing sons from mosquitoes, we have relied on Odomos cream. Unable to find it in local drug stores for a month, I purchased it from Swapno Super Shop."

The Business Standard reporter visited several pharmacies in Moghbazar and Karwan Bazar, but Odomos cream was unavailable due to high demand.

Sohag Hossain from Lazz Pharma mentioned that it has been out of stock for a month, with Vaseline Mosquito Lotion now in stock.

A salesperson at the Swapno Super Shop at the New Eskaton outlet said that along with mosquito repellent coils and sprays, demand for creams has increased.

Mohammad Kawsar, a salesman at a Karwan Bazar wholesale shop, said at present, mosquito repellent products are sold. Among them, demand for Aerosol is high, an increase of 30% in the last two weeks.

Quamrul Hasan, ACI Consumer Brands' Business Director, informed TBS that the demand for ACI Aerosol has more than doubled in the past month. 'Fortunately, our product supply is sufficient to meet this heightened demand.'

Mohammad Sagar, a wholesale supplier of mosquito repellent products in Tejgaon, visited Kawran Bazar. He noted that the price of Aerosol has risen by Tk35 to 50 within three months. 

At present, 800 ml of mosquito repellent spray is priced at between Tk500 and 650 in the country, while mosquito coils range from Tk60 to 100 per packet. This surge in demand has also extended to mosquito nets.

Mushfiqur Rahman Shimul, a sales staff of the Bhuiyan store in the New Eskaton area, mentioned that daily sales of mosquito coil packets have risen from 5-6 to 10-12 in the last 15 days.

Salesman Mohammad Rashed Hossain, from another nearby shop, noted that he sells 2-3 electric bats per day now, while it used to be 2-4 per week a month and a half ago. He prices each bat between Tk580 and Tk680.

Mosquito nets are currently available in the market for Tk250 to Tk1,200. Sellers attribute a Tk50-200 price increase to high demand.

This year, the death toll from dengue fever in Bangladesh has exceeded the 400-mark. Ten more dengue patients have died and 1,984 were hospitalised across the country in the last 24 hours. In the month of July alone, the country recorded 43,854 dengue cases, resulting in 204 fatalities. The cumulative count for the year stands at 87,891 people who have been infected and subsequently hospitalised.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued some instructions for minimising mosquito-borne diseases. It advises individuals to wear clothing with full sleeves and full-length pants. It further suggests applying repellents to exposed skin, using coils or sprays indoors, and installing nets on doors and windows as preventive measures against mosquitoes.