Mosquito breeding in Gurgaon: Construction sites under govt scanner

GURGAON: To check vector-borne diseases, the health department on the occasion of World Malaria Day directed all construction units in the city to remain vigilant of mosquito breeding sites.
Officials said that construction sites must have a proper drainage system and stagnant water should not be found on its premises, else they will be penalised by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG). The health officials hope that these initiatives will help prevent and control vector-borne diseases.
The general public and land or building-owning agencies have also been advised to look out for water stagnation on their premises to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
All health workers, health inspectors, breeding checkers, MCG staff (sanitation workers) are inspecting containers, especially water coolers and overhead tanks, which are sites for larvae breeding, and treating them with anti-larval drugs.
The health department teams are conducting door-to-door surveys to identify people with symptoms of viral fever and getting them tested at the nearest primary health centre.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquito. The period of greatest risk over the past few years in the city has been between February and September, health department officials said.
Apart from conducting fever surveys, the department has also geo-tagged all positive cases to create a database of hotspots in the last two years.
This helps in comparison with past surveys to understand if there are intersections and outbreaks in the city.
“Our teams are checking areas where historical cases were found and also identifying water-holding containers which can act as breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes. There is no clustering of fever cases and no death reported due to malaria in one and half years, but people need to be cautious,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Gurgaon, adding that MCG will also conduct a special drive to identify mosquito breeding sites in construction areas.
According to the data, Gurgaon in 2022 did not have any malaria cases.
A district can be declared ‘malaria free’ if it doesn’t report any cases for three consecutive years. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines vector-borne diseases as “human illnesses caused by parasites, viruses and bacteria that are transmitted by vectors.”