The July survey of the AMC discovered that the number of Aedes mosquitoes has increased three-fold as compared to July 2009, while malaria mosquitoes have reduced in number.
The season for monsoon ailments and epidemics has just set in, and the irritating hum of mosquitoes has returned to haunt. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)'s recent survey has discovered though, that the blood-sucking pests have taken on an even more potent form this year. The number of dengue-causing mosquitoes per room in the city has tripled, finds the survey.
The findings of the AMC's July 2010 survey have come as a health alarm for the civic body and residents alike. It states that the breeding of the Aedes mosquito, responsible for causing dengue, has increased by three times, as compared to July 2009. The AMC survey had detected 0.35 Aedes mosquitoes per room in the city in July 2009, which has increased to 0.98 in July 2010. Also, the presence of Malaria-causing mosquitoes has gone down from 0.54 per room in 2009, to 0.38 in 2010.
The survey indicates that officials and citizens have some testing times ahead, what with August, September and October being months when mosquitoes breed the most. Already, with the onset on monsoon, residents report being troubled by the insects.
"You would normally never spot mosquitoes in my house. But in the last few days, it has become impossible to sit in a room that doesn't have a mosquito repellent. The humming of the insect is very irritating, you can't sleep in peace, and to top it, you end with bite marks the next morning," complained Tejal Dave, a resident.
AMC officials, from Wednesday, have started an intra-domestic mosquito breeding survey, to get an idea of mosquito breeding in city homes. Senior AMC officials say that contrary to popular belief, mosquitoes breeding on dirty water or on stagnant water collected in streets, are not the most harmful ones. "Malaria and dengue-causing mosquitoes breed on clean water, like that stored in buckets in bathrooms. If you store water at home, ensure it is covered," said a senior health official.
While the AMC is doing their bit, officials say it is difficult to contain the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes. "Aedes mosquitoes breed even if their dried eggs come in contact with rainwater after a year," said an official.
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