If you are afflicted by the dengue fever, the blame goes to your neighbours. According to a survey by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in 92% cases, mosquito breeding sites are found in a patient's neighbourhood.
How has dengue affected Mumbai?
So far this year, the vector-borne disease has claimed 13 lives, while the civic body's epidemiology cell has recorded nearly 3,000 suspected cases from public hospitals, and about 900 from private facilities.
What did the survey find?
Civic officials say once they come across a case, the patient's neighbourhood is inspected for breeding sites. "We have a practice of checking about 500 homes around an infected person's home. We have found that in 92% cases, breeding sites of Aedes Aegypti mosquito are found inside the houses of neighbours," said Sanjay Deshmukh, additional municipal commissioner (health) of the BMC.
Where are the breeding spots?
Every months civic officials scan hundreds of spots across for dengue breeding sites, said Deshmukh. We have found that only 10 per cent of the sites are in slum pockets. Old chawls comprise about 40 per cent spots, while posh and middle-clash housing societies provide the most conducive environment (50%) to the mosquitoes to lay eggs, said the official.
How is BMC controlling the outbreak?
Deshmukh said the BMC's pesticide department not only conducts awareness campaigns but also controls dengue. "Across the city, we are collecting ward-wise data of suspected and positive cases from hospitals. We are mapping the areas that have reported dengue cases and are visiting them to look for breeding spots."
About the disease
According to World Health Organisation, dengue, also known as breakbone fever, is a vector-borne disease. It causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent times. Dengue is found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. In recent years, urban and semi-urban areas have seen sharp rise in dengue cases.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}