As the number of dengue cases see a steady rise across the country, the demand for mosquito repellents is also going up.
Talking to retailers at different areas of the capital, the Dhaka Tribune found that although demand is on the rise, prices have been much more stable than last year.
Rasel, a shopkeeper of the Al Madina medicine store at Mirpur-10, said: “Sales have soared by about 10-20% since June of this year. People are looking for repellent creams, vaporizers and coils. Prices have not risen by a lot as there is enough supply of products at the moment.”
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Ibrahim Hossain, proprietor of Sultana Pharmacy at Azimpur, said: “Odomos and aerosol demand has been high since July as dengue cases have been on the rise.”
Mentioning prices, the vendor said, the electric mosquito swatters cost Tk300-330, Odomos Cream costs Tk130 for the 100g tube and Tk80 for the 50g tube, HIT Aerosol (400ml) costs Tk275, Xpel aerosol (475ml) costs Tk305, ACI Aerosol Insect Spray (800ml) costs Tk470, and most coils cost between Tk50 and Tk80.
According to industry insiders, the annual market for mosquito repellents in the country is worth more than Tk600 crore.
ACI Consumer Brands covers more than 90% of the country's Tk200 crore annual aerosol market, according to an official of the company.
The annual vaporizer market is worth Tk11 crore, mosquito coil market is worth Tk1,480 crore, and electric mosquito swatter market is worth Tk50 crore.
Mahmudul Hasan, a customer buying mosquito repellent products at Green Road, said prices had increased from that of last year.
“Last year, Odomos was Tk60 for the 50g tube and Tk120 for the 100g tube. Price of coils has also increased by Tk5-10,” he added.
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Some 264 new dengue patients were hospitalized across the country between Monday and Tuesday morning.
Of the new dengue cases, 248 were reported in Dhaka while 16 were from outside the capital, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
According to the DGHS, 1,072 patients are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals across the country.
A vast majority of the dengue patients are from Dhaka as only 47 of them were reported being treated in hospitals outside the capital.
