The Indian Express            25.10.2013

Dengue: MC teams face resistance as many refuse to get houses sprayed

With over 477 dengue patients reported from Ludhiana, anti-larva teams of the health department are trying to spray the houses of the patients but encountering a lot of problems in the process.

When the teams visit the houses of the dengue patients and the adjacent houses, many residents refuse to let them inside their houses while a few ask a variety of questions.

"We are not given entry in many houses, what to talk of spraying. The residents see us with a suspicion and make us stand outside for a long time," said a member of the anti-larva team.

A number of residents at Haibowal asked the team members a series of questions before getting the spray done. A few of them told the team members to do only superficial spray in the outer lobby, leaving the rooms and kitchen. "Dengue larva can breed in bathrooms, kitchen (in the containers of refrigerators) and in open areas with fresh standing water," said Manjeet Singh, a member of the anti-larva team.

He said still they try hard to convince the residents, and many of them co-operate and get their houses sprayed. The reluctance is specially in the posh colonies.

Dr Anil Verma, district epidemiologist, said, "We are making the masses aware on a daily basis so that they can themselves take precautions rather than waiting for the health teams. At the same time, we appeal to them to co-operate with our health teams."

Meanwhile, 29 more dengue patients were reported positive on Thursday even as the health teams visited Tagore Nagar, Haibowal Kalan and Salem Tabri.