It seems, it cost a man his life for the civic body to sit up and take notice. Two days after 39-year-old Sandeep Gaikwad, an employee with the state's women and child welfare department died of dengue, the civic body's insecticide department found a breeding site of the dengue causing mosquitoes in the vicinity.
Gaikwad is survived by his wife Sangeeta, 36, and his four-year-old son Saksham. While Gaikwad was an employee of the state department for nine years, Sangeeta has been a staff nurse with the BMC-run Nair Hospital.
The insecticide department officials of M East ward visited the housing society and premises at Sainath Nagar in Chembur and discovered a dengue breeding site behind an outlet of Reliance Energy. "We zeroed in on a broken diffused loft tank at the back of the outlet. There was collection of stagnated water. Also larvae of dengue-causing aedes aegypti mosquitoes was found in it," said a senior insecticide official with the BMC.
The outlet authorities have been slapped with a notice under the Section 381-B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. "Under the section, we serve a notice and then prosecute owners of premises, landlords, society members and office bearers for not taking preventive measures to stop breeding. A summons has been issued by the BMC through the metropolitan magistrate court. The offenders are fined and, in certain cases, an arrest may be made too," said Rajan Naringrekar, insectide officer, BMC.
In the last three days, BMC has served 249 such notices in Mumbai and has further gone on to prosecute 64 societies or industrial offices and organizations. Dengue has infected 755 persons from the city this year, according to civic numbers.
The death certificate of Gaikwad stated that the cause of death was Dengue Shock Syndrome in which he suffered from liver failure and respiratory distress. Dr Mangala Gomare, head, epidemiology has yet not confirmed it as a death of dengue. "We can cite it as a suspected dengue death. An investigation committee has been instituted to study his medical records. Only after proper findings can we say whether it was a dengue death," Dr Gomare told dna.
Gaikwad had been admitted to BMC-run Nair Hospital on October 25.
Aedes Aegypti mosquito which carries dengue virus is a day biter and rests in the dark corners of the houses, on hanging objects like clothes, umbrella, etc. or under the furniture
Mosquitoe lays eggs in deserted coolers, drums, jars, pots, buckets, flower vases, plant saucers, tanks, cisterns, bottles, tins, tyres, roof gutters, refrigerator drip pans, cement blocks, cemetery urns, bamboo stumps, coconut shells, tree holes and many more places where rainwater collects or is stored
Steps to protect from dengue
Remove water from coolers and other small containers at least once in a week
Use aerosol during day time to prevent the bites of mosquitoes
Do not wear clothes that expose arms and legs
Use mosquito nets or mosquito repellents while sleeping during day time
Do not let water stagnate in petri dishes of flower pots or that of feng shui plants at home. Empty water everyday from buckets and other places
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