Urban News

The Hindu 14.12.2009

Corporation steps up drive against mosquitoes

Staff Reporter

Photo: H. Vibhu

Battling a parasite: Mosquito menace has increased in the city and the residents are using all possible measures including lighting anti-mosquito coils to keep them away. —

KOCHI: With the increased mosquito menace presenting sleepless nights to the city residents, the civic authorities have embarked on mosquito control measures.

The flushing of drains using saline water has started in West Kochi areas and it will be extended to the central city area this week, said Dr. C. G. Elizabeth, Health Officer of the Kochi corporation. The blocks in the drains would be removed and mosquito larvae killed when water is forced into the drain. Water that is pooled in the clogged drains is providing breeding grounds for the disease-spreading mosquitoes.

Fogging has also been employed by the health workers as a measure to kill adult mosquitoes. The spray is sufficient to kill mosquitoes on contact.

It is sprayed on bushes and drains where there is the possibility of convergence of mosquitoes. A schedule for fogging has also been drawn up and every division would be covered once in a week. The de-clogging of small drains has also started in different parts of the city, she said.

The period between December and February is considered as the peak breeding season of mosquitoes. The cold nights and warm days provide the parasites ideal climatic conditions to proliferate.

The larvae get time to mature during these months in the absence of rain. The situation may continue up to March.

During the summer months, the mosquito population would be reduced as the drying up of pooled water and marshy lands would deny them breeding grounds.

The tendency to throw plastic bottles and covers into the drains is proving costly to the public health in the city. The small drains are often clogged by the bottles and covers and the drains are converted into breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

A shift in the culture of throwing plastic and other materials into the drains itself would help in reducing the mosquito menace, she said. All the mosquito control measures would take at least one month to yield results. The Kochi corporation will soon write to the Railway authorities to carryout cleaning and anti-mosquito drive in its holdings as the marshy tracts in possession of the Railways was allowing mosquitoes to breed there, she said.

The civic authority had earlier given a call for observing all Sundays as dry days for emptying containers and bins in open places so as to control the mosquito population. However, the drive has lost its steam and this has also affected the mosquito control measures.

Indian Express 11.12.2009

10 per cent increase in malaria cases over last year: civic body

There has been a ten per cent rise in malaria cases this year compared to last year, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The civic body had started an intensive screening drive for malaria a month ago. Of the 99,503 blood samples collected, 5,563 tested positive for malaria. The civic body has also identified 134 new high-risk areas.

In a bid to curb the malaria menace the BMC has employed health workers in a door to door extended immunisation drive to trace people, especially in slums, with flu and flu-like symptoms and administer Chloroquine (anti-malarial tablet) if needed. The civic body had earlier stationed vans at vulnerable spots to screen people for malaria.

The idea is to scan slums and slum-like areas for malaria. We are not concentrating on high rises as they have an option of going to general practitioners. The number of blood smears collected has increased from 80,000 in the month of October to 99503,” said Dr Dr K Harboli, who heads BMC’s malaria surveillance programme.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar had earlier said, “As many as 73 per cent of the deaths this year have been due to delayed treatment. Our surveillance unit will accompany health workers.