Rain increases chances of mosquitoes’ breeding

Islamabad

The repeated rain spells would spoil the larvicidal activity like sprinkling of chemicals including temephos on unnecessary water reservoirs carried out by the health departments in this region of the country to avoid breeding of mosquitoes while water accumulation of rainwater would help creating possible breeding sites for larvae of ‘aedes aegypti’, the vector that causes dengue fever.

If proper preventive measures are not taken by both the concerned government authorities and the individuals well in time, the existing weather conditions may put population at a greater risk of facing a possible outbreak of dengue fever in the coming months.

The rain spells create more and more pockets inside and outside homes for mosquitoes’ breeding and if these are not eliminated timely, it would result in increased population of mosquitoes in the coming months, said Additional District Health Officer at ICT Health Department Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Durrani while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

He said the rain may cause water accumulation on under construction sites, on rooftops in discarded cans and like utensils and it is observed that majority of our population does not give proper attention to removal of these possible breeding sites that increase chances of growth of dengue fever vector. Even the moist places developed in result of rains may serve as suitable space for egg laying, he said.

It is important that the population in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi had faced a severe dengue fever outbreak last year, and according to a number of health experts, the eggs of ‘aedes aegypti’ would have been in abundance in the region that would be hatched on getting moisture on favourable temperature.

To a query, Dr. Durrani said it is time for health departments to launch awareness campaigns and surveillance campaigns against dengue fever to avoid a possible outbreak of the infection in coming months.

It is time to educate public that only by elimination of possible breeding sites of mosquitoes from inside homes, the chances of a possible outbreak of dengue fever can be reduced to a significant extent, he said.

He added that by taking prompt action for elimination of potential breeding sites of larvae of ‘aedes aegypti’, population  can be safeguarded from dengue fever and the steps taken at the time would save millions of rupees which are spent on patients from national exchequer.

It is also important that health experts have repeatedly expressed to ‘The News’ that it is not possible for the health departments to carry out activities to eliminate breeding sites inside homes on regular basis and hence individuals should take responsibility of checking breeding of mosquitoes in their homes.

The recent rain spells would provide water and moist to the eggs of mosquitoes lying inside and outside homes and on favourable conditions, their hatching would increase the chances of growth of larvae and to avoid it, immediate removal of water accumulation is needed, said Dr. Durrani.

He said the teams of ICT health department are carrying out outdoor surveillance activities to check breeding of mosquitoes while nearly 300 lady health workers are busy in paying door-to-door visits in rural areas of the federal capital for public awareness on measures to be taken to avoid mosquitoes’ breeding.