MCD started 'intensive campaign' for prevention of mosquito-borne diseases


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 26-07-2021 18:53 IST | Created: 26-07-2021 18:53 IST
MCD started 'intensive campaign' for prevention of mosquito-borne diseases
  • Country:
  • India

The municipal corporations of Delhi have started an ''intensive campaign'', including regular fumigation and spraying of anti-larval medicines, for the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and malaria in the city, officials said on Monday.

The campaign also includes ward-level meetings with representatives of resident welfare associations (RWAs) and distribution of pamphlets, according to municipal authorities.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Mayor Mukesh Suryan said that nearly 2,000 staffers have been engaged in preventing mosquito breeding by means of household surveys, awareness campaigns, fumigation and spraying of anti-larval medicines.

He said DBC workers, public health officers and teachers have been engaged in this exercise and focus is on slum colonies and JJ (jhuggi jhopadi) clusters.

Suryan said that it is a crucial time as mosquito breeding increases in the monsoon season.

''We don't want to take any chances and have issued instructions to officials concerned in a meeting to intensify awareness campaigns regarding prevention of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and malaria especially in slums and JJ clusters,'' he said.

Officials have also been asked to intensify meetings with RWAs and household inspections.

''We are also distributing pamphlets, providing audio-video and FM advertisements appealing to the public to check mosquito breeding,'' Suryan said after the meeting on preventing spread of vector-borne diseases.

The civic body has checked nearly 42,000 houses in JJ colonies out of which mosquito larvae were found in nearly 800 houses, SDMC officials said.

Delhi has three municipal bodies -- SMDC, East Delhi Municipal Corporation and North Delhi Municipal Corporation -- and according to data provided by them, this year, 48 cases of dengue have been reported till July 24. Only 28 cases were reported during the same period last year. The total number of dengue cases last year was 1,072 while it was 2,036 in 2019. No death has been reported so far due to dengue, the data stated. Delhi has reported 11 cases of chikungunya till July 24 this year, while 16 cases of this disease were reported during the same period last year, it said. In 2020, the city had 111 cases of chikungunya while it was 293 in 2019, according to the data. This year, till July 24, Delhi reported 20 cases of malaria while the number was 40 till the same date last year. The data state that 228 malaria cases were reported in Delhi last year compared to 713 such cases in 2019.

Officials of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation said that regular fumigation, inspection of households and awareness drives are being carried out to check mosquito breeding. Municipal officials said that mosquito breeding cases increase during monsoon due to favourable conditions like rain and humidity. The aedes aegypti mosquito spreads diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya. ''Besides remedial measures, public participation is also required as the efforts of civic agencies alone cannot achieve desired results. We appeal to public to ensure that water does not accumulate in unattended waste articles like desert cooler, pots, tyres, etc to check mosquito breeding,'' a senior official of the North Corporation said. Shyam Sundar Agarwal, Mayor of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation said that ward-level awareness meetings with RWAs are already being conducted along with fumigation and spray of anti-larval medicine. ''We will intensity it further in a way so that every locality is covered. We are conducting regular house checks and our DBC workers have inspected about 36 lakh households,'' Agarwal said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback