Date:13/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/13/stories/2008121359350400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Corporation drive to check breeding of mosquitoes

Staff Reporter

Catamarans, fibre boats, hand-held fogging machines, hand sprays provided to staff

CHENNAI: Chennai Corporation has initiated various measures to contain malaria-spreading mosquitoes.

According to a release, six catamarans, six fibre boats, 226 hand-held fogging machines, and 291 hand sprays, have been provided to 850 Corporation employees to carry out the fogging/spraying operation in its 10 zones.

The civic body has said that the mosquitoes do not breed in stagnant sewage on the roads. Control of mosquitoes was taken up before the onset of the monsoon and has been continued since the rains subsided. The residents have been advised to avoid storing water in containers for a long time, giving way to breeding of mosquitoes that spread dengue.

The civic body has also ensured that medicines have been sprayed to prevent breeding of rats that could cause Leptospirosis. The Corporation further said that in 2008, till November, 12,700 persons were diagnosed and treated for malaria. Of this, 46 were affected with plasmodium falciparam malarial parasite.

The civic body added that the two major diagnostic laboratories in the city, Lister and Premier, had received 30 samples for testing, of which two tested positive for malaria.