The government might eventually end up giving out pepper pellets, not for condiments but as a means of decimating dengue-bearing mosquitoes.

This, if scientists at the Philippine National Health Research Institute (PNHRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) would find it practical and effective.

PNHRI Executive Director Jaime Montoya told a press conference that they are looking at the possible use of pepper pellets to reduce the population of dengue vectors.

“May mga technology na tayo laban sa lamok. Napag-alaman ko lang na [We already have technology against mosquitoes. I just learned that] based on the researches made by the PCHRD (Philippine Council for Health Research and Development), ‘yung pepper pellets have (a killing effect) against a larva. Pag nilagay mo sa tubig ‘yan at dumapo d’yan, nangitlog dyan ang lamok, patay ang lamok. [If you put that in water and a mosquito hatches egg on it, it will die],” he said.

“I only found out that the PCHRD partner had that project several years ago. So tinitingnan namin ito,” the DoST health research chief said.

He revealed that they are considering the use of pepper pellets in their bid to address dengue, as he defends the stand of the DoST against the use of insecticide called dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT).

“Maraming technology na pwedeng gamitin. So let’s not focus on synthetic means like DDT,” Montoya said.

DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic pesticides, the use of which was banned in the US after it was discovered that it can cause cancer and threaten wildlife particularly birds. It was used with great success in the second half of World War II to control malaria and typhus among civilians and troops.

“This is not only a local but is a global issue. Unless the global agencies will free it from being prohibited, we do not hope to do anything with DDT. But even if we are allowed to use it, it will not solve the problem because there is already public resistance to DDT, not to mention the problem of biological degradation and long-term effect on human life and the whole life as it is,” Montoya said.