A sudden dip in monsoon activities along with rapid rise in temperatures during the day has brought an unprecedented surge in breeding of mosquitoes in the city. In reaction to a recent civic density survey, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has been increasing its vector control measures in order to prevent any outbreak. Data from June monitoring session shows that there are several vulnerabilities in the region and that Mangalwari Zone is the most important spot in the city having highest number of Culex and Aedes mosquitoes. Both of these mosquitoes are the main vectors of transmitting filariasis, dengue, and chikungunya. More vectors have been spotted in Satranjipura, Gandhibagh, Laxmi Nagar, and Ashi Nagar. It should be mentioned that Gandhibagh is the only zone where Anopheles mosquitoes, which transmit malaria, are operating.

 

Highly-populated zones with poor drainage system, junkyards, and water-logging have been recognised as major breeding spots. As a result, preventive surveillance has been started in dangerous zones such as Patankar Chowk, Uppalwadi, Yashodharanagar, Mankapur, Zingabai Takli, Khamla, Sonegaon, Gittikhadan, Mominpura, and Kalamna. NMC adopts multi-layered strategy: In reaction to the mounting challenge, Medical Health Officer (MHO) Dr Deepak Selokar shared an multi-layer containment grid in all 10 municipal zones as follows: Control via mechanised methods: The NMC has made a large-scale deployment of vehicle mounted, portable fogging machine, cold fogging machine and high pressure pump sprayers to eliminate the adult mosquito population within thickly populated areas. Targeted larvicidal treatments: For the purpose of killing the breeding sources before the vector matures, there are intensive applications of mosquito larvicidal oil (MLO) and emulsified oils in all open drains, swampy land and stagnating water bodies.

 

Infrastructure for rapid response: There is setting up of Rapid Response Teams (RRT). On getting lab confirmed dengue or malaria case, RRT rushes to the patient’s neighbourhood and conducts mandatory surveillance testing and complete thermal fogging in a minimum 25 house circle. Need for collective vigilance, public participation: The civic medical authorities stress that there has to be an effort towards sanitation in the neighbourhoods in order to see any long-lasting epidemiological effects. Field workers have been instructed to dispense Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) and barcelo larvicidal tablets for domestic use. Citizens are advised to check their homes weekly to make sure that there is no standing water in places like desert coolers, flower pots that are not being used, tires lying around, and uncovered overhead tanks. Civic body has issued a warning that structural inspections will continue during monsoon season.