City sees 50% cases from non-slum areas — high-rises, posh localities.
Potholes isn’t the only major worry this monsoon; dengue is right up there with it.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has seen a spurt in dengue cases in the city this season. And what’s even more worrisome is that 50% of these cases have been reported from high-rises and non-slum areas.
The corporation’s health department has been micro-checking each and every dengue case coming to private hospitals and physicians. It now plans to launch a campaign to educate the higher middle class on ways to stop the breeding of dengue-spreading mosquitoes in their vicinity.
So far this year, civic hospitals have already reported 250 dengue cases. The disease saw an all-time high in 2012, with 1,008 cases and five deaths, as compared to 416 cases and three deaths in 2011, and 115 cases and three deaths in 2010.
Dr Mangala Gomare, head of the epidemiology department in BMC, said, “Our reports show that 50% dengue cases in the city have come from non-slum areas — high-rises and posh localities.”
The corporation, on July 17, launched a massive campaign to spread awareness. “We have enrolled NSS and medical students to make the residents aware about the breeding of the female Aedes mosquito. The teams have been trained and are visiting housing societies and workplaces to show presentations on how to make homes/offices dengue-proof,” said Gomare.
According to experts, while others, like the female Anopheles mosquito which spreads malaria, like to breed in the dirty water of puddles and open drains, the Aedes mosquito breeds only in clear water.
Gomare said, “The Aedes mosquito’s breeding spots are being found in mini-fountains, feng shui plants and miniature artificial ponds. Unlike locating the breeding sites of the female Anopheles mosquito, it is difficult to find those of the Aedes mosquito as we have to visit homes for that.”
The BMC’s medical officers are also keeping in touch with local physicians, private hospitals and maintaining a record of dengue cases. “It has been an ongoing process where the ward level medical officers collect the dengue cases from private physicians and hospitals. This helps us to know which part is seeing maximum cases. Accordingly, our team gets into action,” said Gomare.
Beware!
Dengue is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with any one of the four dengue viruses. The dengue fever is a febrile illness that affects infants, young children and adults, and occurs in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Symptoms appear three to 14 days after the bite.
Symptoms range from a mild fever to an incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rash.
Dengue haemorrhagic fever (fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding) is a lethal complication, which mainly affects kids. Early clinical diagnosis and management by experienced physicians increases survival of patients.
Dos and don’ts
To ensure your house doesn’t become a breeding site.
Change water of ornamental plants’ pots and flower vases every alternate day.
Make sure there is no stagnant water collected in garden drains, roof gutters and sun shades.
Add pesticides to stagnant water and cover all containers used for storing water.
Loosen soil from potted plants.
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