Need to control mosquito breeding in elite areas too

Nagpur: The health fraternity across the globe will observe ‘World Malaria Day’ on Thursday. This year, the theme is ‘Zero malaria starts with me’.
Even though the availability of advanced medicines, timely treatment and growing public awareness have drastically reduced cases of malaria in the last four years, it is still important to control mosquito breeding grounds in the city.
As per the records of the malaria control cell of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), there are posh localities in the city that have become breeding grounds for mosquitos.
Air cooler tubs, water collecting tubs under refrigerators, and open pots or tins kept in galleries for decoration and plantation purposes are the places where mosquito larvae are found during inspections, said officials.
The malaria control cell will launch a weeklong campaign from April 25 to distribute guppy fishes in such societies to control mosquito breeding.
“Initially, we will be focusing on the localities where cases of dengue have been reported. On ‘World Malaria Day’, we will take out awareness rallies in all 10 zones of the city.
On April 27, exhibitions will be held at 20 locations across the city from 7am to 10am. Distribution of awareness material, tablets, and Guppy fishes will be done for free at these exhibitions,” said malaria control officer Jaishree Thote.
“On March 29, the civic body will introduce Guppy fishes at marked mosquito breeding grounds in different localities. On April 30, roadside gatherings will be held to create direct public awareness,” she said.
Though Nagpur city has recorded good control in the last five years, rural areas in the district and tribal regions continue to show a rise in cases of malaria. As serious cases are referred to Nagpur hospitals, it has become the responsibility of the city’s health care sector to stop malaria from spreading its tentacles.
“The condition in Nagpur city could be better but malaria is still a major threat in rural areas. In fact, some reports clearly suggest that only 8% of the actual number of malaria cases are reported in India,” said physician Dr Prashant Jain.
“Many private hospitals don’t report cases of malaria to the NMC and neither does the civic body take any initiative to record cases from private hospitals. Malaria is reducing, but we need to be careful and must stop mosquito breeding,” he said.
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