THE Lagos State government has commenced a pilot scheme of the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) in two high malaria burden areas within the Ikorodu Local Government Area and Otto-Awori Local Council Development Area of the state.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed this, added that the IRS was the application of safe and effective chemical/insecticide on walls and ceilings of houses to kill mosquitoes and other harmful insects.

He said Abule Era, Era, Ketu, IIogbo Elegba communities in the Otto-Awori Local Council Development Area and Imota in the Ikorodu Local Governmnet Area would all be administered with the indoor residual spraying in the 10-day exercise.

He said following a rigorous selection process, the two councils were chosen based on criteria that included high malaria burden, rural urbanisation, mass deployment of long lasting insecticide treated nets, community acceptance and involvement in previous interventions.

The commissioner noted that the cosmopolitan nature of the state, coupled with the abundant distribution of coastal areas, encouraged the development of stagnant water responsible for the breeding of anopheles mosquitoes.