Greater Chennai Corporation is set to begin fogging to eliminate dengue-spreading Aedes mosquitoes alongside usual fogging of streets to combat mosquito-borne diseases.
“We have spread awareness. Now the focus is on source reduction and anti-adult/larval measures to fight the menace of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and chikungunya,” Dr N Senthilnathan, city health officer, told The Times of India, adding that this time the focus would be on fogging, especially in stormwater drains, educational institutions and residential quarters.
The corporation has 39 vehicle-mounted fogging machines, 22 mini fogging machines, 445 handheld spraying machines and 15 power sprayers to spray larvicides in stormwater drains and canals, revealed the TOI report.
Senthilnatha said that the civic body has now prioritised awareness among residents welfare associations. Teams have begun meeting residents and site managers of under-construction sites to make them aware of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue.
Senior officials with the corporation said that about 3,000 domestic breeding checkers have been working to survey breeding grounds in the city, reported TOI.
A senior officer with Greater Chennai Corporation further told the publication that they have divided the city into 3,000 blocks and each checker is to survey 500 houses in a week for harbouring mosquito breeding sites. The senior officer further added that similar exercise will be undertaken in institutions and hospitals and sanitary officers will oversee door-to-door checking which will be reviewed by zonal health officers.
Furthermore, civic body officials said a meeting would be convened with hospitals top inform them of a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh to be imposed if breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes are found in their premises. Apart from hospitals and residences, the corporation has further identified more than 24,000 vacant plots in the city which will have to be cleared to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in 2015 malaria alone caused 4,38,000 deaths. Furthermore, according to WHO, the worldwide incidence of dengue has risen 30-fold in the past 30 years, and more countries are reporting their first outbreaks of the disease. Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
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