CHENNAI: While residents raise concerns about waterlogging outside their homes, corporation officials remind them to clear stagnated water from their premises to keep dengue cases in control.
Only a month before, a cluster of 20 dengue cases emerged from Chetty Thottam in the Adyar zone near King’s Institute. Senior officials visited the spot and intensified mosquito-control measures in the area. Since then, no new case has been reported from there. Now, there are about 105 cases in the city, said officials. Among zones that have a high occurrence of cases are Kodambakkam with 16 dengue cases and Teynampet with 17 cases.
“After the rains, residents have to be careful to clear out stagnated water then and there. Sometimes, they see water collected on top of sun shades, in pots or tires on their premises and let it be. This is not safe during this time,” said a senior corporation official.
The recent rains and rise in mosquito breeding are enough to create a dengue scare this season. But a study by the city corporation has shown that over the last 20 years, the number of dengue cases has come down by November-December when the monsoon typically set in, as compared to June-September. Officials are yet to figure out the reason and if it has anything to do with the density of the dengue-causing Aedes mosquitoes during this time. The overall cases in Chennai too are lower than in other districts in the State.
“We have Domestic Breeding Check workers taking up fogging and other measures throughout the year instead of doing it seasonally. This helps in controlling mosquito-spread in the long run,” said a senior official. Corporation officials are continuing to fine residents who allow stagnant water on their premises, enabling mosquito breeding at the zonal levels. Area-based measures are also in place wherein if a case is reported, corporation staff identify potential breeding centres and strengthen control measures.