Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Jul 26: Deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said, "We have to be extra careful to tackle the outbreak of dengue in the district. Dengue mosquitos breed during the day in unclean water. The water which is collected and unattended mainly in terraces and house premises help dengue mosquitoes breed.
He was speaking during the ‘Meet the Press’ held at press club on Friday, July 26.
He further said, “The main reason for this is the weather pattern. The monsoon in the district is not in continuous mode which gives enough time for larvae to develop. In the month of April, 20 cases were reported. In the month of May, another 20 cases were reported. In June it increased to 100 and in July, 250 cases were reported. We are prone to dengue and malaria. A special team is working on cleanliness to prevent dengue. We need to take all necessary measures to control spread of dengue. Firstly, we should understand the disease, as these mosquitos breed inside the house. They bite in the day and fly low. We can control dengue. Our fight is not against dengue but against larvae.
" As many as 100 teams of 3 members each and three clusters have been formed for conducting cleanliness drive in areas such as Kadri, Gujjarakere and Kodialbail. We should control larvae which grows inside our house.
“Dengue control mechanism needs to be done to control larvae. We should apply neem oil, odomos on body parts which are exposed to mosquitoes. Information needs to be spread on how to control the disease. Unfortunately, Mangaluru should not have faced this situation. Total of 482 cases have been reported so far, in which 400 are discharged after recovering. We are collecting data such as spot test NS1, Elisa positive, and admission to the hospital. Henceforth we will collect the data of confirmed cases.
“Sunday will be observed as Dengue Drive Day, where at least one hour should be spent to control the larvae inside house premises by clear stagnate water. The district administration and NGOs will take part in this drive,” he said.
The deputy commissioner also inaugurated free blood test camp for journalists at AJ Hospital. The camp will be conducted for the next 10 days.
Dr Ramakrishna Rao, district health officer, Dr Ashok Shetty, dean, AJ Hospital, and others were present.