In view of increase in dengue cases following monsoon rains in the past few days, the health department has formed three quick response teams (QRTs) to curb vector menace.
Sources in the district health department revealed that in the last one week, more than 11 dengue cases have been reported from city areas, taking the total number of dengue positive cases reported so far in 2019 to 44 forcing the department to intensify its efforts. “We are keeping an eye on the rain spell. This year we had seen very few rainy spells during July and also in August. It is only in the last week of August that there have few spells of rains and this has led to water accumulation which has led to spurt in dengue cases off late,” said an official from the health department.
The three civic bodies in city Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee-JNAC, Mango Notified Area Committee (MNAC) and Jugsalai municipality are working on door-to-door inspection to identify dengue larvaes. “We have formed the QRTS and would also be writing to civic bodies to again help us in curbing dengue menace,” said the official.
The department which earlier used to only spray larvicidal apart from undertaking cleanliness exercise will be opting for destroying unused containers (identified vector breeding centers) in the affected areas and educating people on not allowing water to stagnate in residential areas. “As per latest directive of the health department we have asked our men to carry out fogging exercise in the affected areas of Jugsalai and Mango with focus on identifying and destroying unused containers storing waters in houses and localities and educating locals about steps to prevent breeding of dengue vectors,” said the official.
This exercise would be held simultaneously with routine methods of spraying larvicidal in the area. "We need to understand that mosquitoes that carry the virus of dengue do not come from outside, rather they generate from the household things like flower-pots, coolers water, rejected tyre kept on the roof top or in the corner of the garden. So we must ensure that there is no such place where water is stagnant for some time," said an official.
JNAC will be pressing into service its handheld fogging machines and four vehicle mounted fogging units to cover non-company areas in Birsangar, Jemco, Sonari, Kadma, Baridih, Manifit, Namda Basti, regularly in the evening.
