Date:20/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/20/stories/2004072007710300.htm

New Delhi

MCD sounds the dengue alarm

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI, JULY 19 . The MCD has intensified its mosquito surveillance measure, besides immediately initiating several precautionary and preventive measures. Instead of on a weekly basis, cases of dengue fever would be monitored daily from Monday.

With a few samples of the aedes mosquito being found in Delhi, a team of senior municipal health officials is scheduled to leave for Gwalior next week where the type and nature of the mosquito and its probable impact on human being would be studied at the Defence Research and Development Establishment laboratory. The officials would also undergo a three-day training there.

As many as 12 trucks mounted fogging machines one for each Zone are scheduled to be delivered to the MCD next week and would be immediately pressed into service.

Last year, the civic body had used fire tenders. A set of six such machines are being procured, officials said. Having procured 134 smaller fogging machines, orders for another 89 such machines have been placed.

Intensifying its drive to identify areas where breeding of aedes is higher, the MCD has set up 2,800 centres of OV Trap across the city. This would be increased to 3,700 in coming weeks. As of now, municipal health workers are visiting these places twice a week. "This would help us in taking preventive measures," officials said.

Though a house-to-house survey to check mosquito breeding has been intensified and is being carried out on a war footing, officials said, this has so far not yielded desired result.

"This is apparently because, the survey is being done mostly on papers. This is one area where there is a need to take strict action against those responsible," they said.

Further, a massive awareness generation programme is also being contemplated besides the on-going training programme for private and Government doctors, health workers and even resident welfare associations.

"Every Saturday, we are a having training programme in each Zones," they said. Public and private hospitals and health care centres also being trained in handling dengue cases.

Through all these efforts, municipal health officials hoped, dengue would be contained in the Capital.