Mosquito-control in Bangalore, an uphill task

Mosquito-control in Bangalore, an uphill task
Deccan Herald

Smoking out the ‘enemy’ will be an uphill task to the health workers of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP).

On the first day of the week-long intensive fogging launched here on Monday, the task-force of 273 men realised there are too many gaps in the vector-control operation.

Mapping mosquito breeding sites is in itself a daunting task, say officials, who now hope to target slums, low-lying areas, lake beds, drainages and stagnant water pools.

“We carried out fogging in 19 localities. But a tough patch was around the Kempambudi lake, which has high density of infested mosquitoes. All lake beds are potential breeding sites and need special treatment,” says chief health officer Dr Vijayalakshmi.

“Fogging is a temporary solution as it paralyses only the adult mosquitoes. We need to destroy the larvae through spraying larvicides,” she adds.

The fogging operation brings no respite to the people residing along the open drains. “The open drains are the culprits and the City is dotted with long stretches of drains. No amount of fogging or spraying can tackle this problem. The drains have silt and hence become stagnant pools of water,” says Jayendra H, a resident of Ulsoor.

Open drains in Koramangala, Ulsoor, Madivala or Wilson Garden are an open invitation for mosquitoes, rue citizens.

Threat of dengue, malaria and now chikungunya is looming large over the City, say doctors.

Private nursing homes have been reporting any unusual number of fever cases to the BMP.

“We are witnessing many cases of fever coupled with severe joint pain and body ache, which we suspect is chikungunya. However, we have no way to confirm it as the City has no facilities. The National Institute of Virology is also flooded with blood samples and we get the results after the patient has recovered,” say doctors.

Challenges ahead

Intermittent rains have been a cause for worry. While continuous rains wash away larva, a dry spell is conducive for its larval growth.

Another hurdle is the lack of people’s participation. Spraying needs expertise as it involves chemicals like ‘Fenthion’ (for polluted water bodies) and ‘Temiphos’ (for potable water).

“Fenthion is diluted with specific proportions of kerosene or diesel. And this can be done by our health workers only.

However, people can chip in by following some guidelines - like destroying mosquito breeding sites around their houses and flower pots in their garden and safely disposing the waste, etc,” says a health department official.