Major mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya have been kept under check this year in Delhi due to the longer spell of rains and timely action by the authorities. As on August 24, 2019, the capital city has reported cases of the diseases significantly fewer than the previous years. However, the warning from the scientists is still on as the main season during which these mosquito-borne diseases boom, is yet to start.
As per the municipal data, the number of cases registered for dengue is considerably less than the previous years. By August 24, 2019, Delhi recorded 75 cases of dengue. This figure was 78 cases in 2018, 435 in 2017, 311 in 2016 and 530 cases were registered in 2015. Malaria and chikungunya cases are also lower this year with 131 and 21 cases registered respectively, as on August 24 this year.
According to a senior scientist from National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), “this year, the number of cases of mosquito-borne diseases has been lower than usual due to multiple factors. Firstly, the rainy season has been longer, which has limited the scope of mosquitoes breeding outdoors. Frequent outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya have also made a large section of population immune to the strain of the virus in circulation. And most importantly, the civic bodies, the state government and the center have displayed competitive approach towards creating more awareness about measures to prevent the spread of these diseases among the public.”
The Delhi government began a new campaign which started on Sunday, urging people to spend 10 minutes at 10 am every Sunday to check their houses for any mosquito breeding ground. Times of India reported that Delhi CM Arvind Kerjriwal himself started the campaign by effectively checking his house for 10 minutes on Sunday. This campaign is scheduled to run for 10 weeks.
“Every Sunday, we should ensure that flower pots, air coolers and other places are free of stagnant water. Mosquitoes that spread dengue can’t fly beyond 200 metres. So, if we keep our premises clean, chances of us getting affected by the deadly diseases become less,” Kejriwal appealed to the people of the capital city.
In order to sensitise and mobilise people about mosquito-borne diseases and how to control them, a similar campaign was initiated by the Union Health Ministry in July this year. 286 ward-wise teams were constituted with 20-25 members each who went around in residential areas, schools hospitals, and market places to educated people about how to prevent and control such diseases.
Comments
0 comment