Fewer malaria, dengue cases in Hyderabad this year

The GHMC’s Disaster Response Force teams were actively involved in spraying disinfectants in public spaces.
Authorities conduct a medical camp at Shaheen Nagar, a flood-affected area, on Wednesday. (Photo | Vinay Madapu, EPS)
Authorities conduct a medical camp at Shaheen Nagar, a flood-affected area, on Wednesday. (Photo | Vinay Madapu, EPS)

HYDERABAD: The prevalence of vectorborne diseases like malaria and dengue is strikingly low this year, thanks mainly to the measures taken by the Entomology Wing of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporations (GHMC). According to Fever Hospital Superintendent K Shankar, the number of cases per week reported since June are in single digits. Last year, during the same time, over 1,000 dengue and malaria cases were reported in the city. But this year the number of cases have dropped considerably owing to GHMC Entomology Wing’s anti-mosquito drive, particularly the anti-larval operations at lakes and nalas. The excessive use of disinfectants this year might have also led to reduction in the number of mosquitoes.

The GHMC’s Disaster Response Force teams were actively involved in spraying disinfectants in public spaces. “Around 40 of the 185 lakes in the city that were enveloped with hyacinth have been cleared. We removed them during and before peak summer to ensure that there is less breeding of mosquitoes during and after the monsoon. We are using drones to spray anti-larval chemicals in all the identified lakes,” said A Rambabu, Chief Entomologist of GHMC. “Once we learn that a person got tested positive for dengue, we send a team to fumigate the house of the infected person. The team will also fumigate and remove all sources of water station points from at least 50 houses in the neighbourhood,” he added. Even though the peak season (September-October) of dengue and malaria is over, the department intends to continue thermal fogging, spraying of larvicide at 130 lakes in the city.

Measures led to fall in cases

This year the number of cases have dropped considerably owing to GHMC Entomology Wing’s antimosquito drive. The excessive use of disinfectants by the GHMC might have also led to reduction in the number of mosquitoes

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