Dengue Larvae Found in 29 Schools, 94 Houses, 2 Hospitals in Nagpur

Dengue larvae were found breeding in several houses, shops, schools and big establishments, as well as hospitals, in Nagpur following which 165 notices were sent by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to the owners.

Mosquito-borne diseases dengue, malaria, Zika virus, chikungunya, Yellow fever, among others are quite prevalent during monsoon and post rainy season. Mosquitoes spreading these diseases breed in stagnant water.

The breeding grounds of mosquitoes were found at 94 residences, 29 schools, 14 basements, 13 tyre shops, 13 construction sites and two hospitals.

A report by Times of India mentioned Malaria and filarial officer Jayashree Thote saying that the 165 notices were served after inspection teams from all the 10 zones carried out spot visits and found water accumulated there. “Initially we ask people to destroy the potential breeding spots. In the next visit, if anyone fails to do so a fine is imposed,” Thote added.

Anti-nuisance squad has been asked by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) malaria and the filarial department to impose a penalty on those failing to destroy the breeding spots or keeping their properties free of mosquitoes.

The Anti-nuisance squad has penalized a couple of establishments after it was found out that they did not comply with the guidelines. The fine includes Rs 100 for homes and Rs 200 for establishments.

Dengue is spread through the bite of the female mosquito (Aedes aegypti). The mosquito becomes infected when it takes the blood of a person infected with the virus. After about a week, the dengue mosquito can transmit the virus while biting a healthy person. The mosquito can fly up to 400 meters looking for water-filled containers to lay their eggs but usually remains close to the human habitation.

The peak biting periods of dengue mosquito is early in the morning and in the evening before dusk.

The NMC malaria and filarial department have witnessed a spike in dengue cases and so far in September, 37 cases have been tested positive. In August, 39 people were tested positive of dengue.

Since January this year, 102 dengue cases have been reported but no one died of the vector-borne disease. In 2018, 565 people were tested positive of dengue of which two have succumbed.

Dengue cases in Nagpur dropped in the month of August and September this year compared to the corresponding period last year when 69 cases were reported in August while September saw 204 people diagnosed positive of the mosquito-borne disease.