Prayagraj: District health authorities have roped in as many as 30 teams of Domestic Breeder Checkers (DBC) for dengue prevention and control measures across the district by ensuring a check on water stagnation and mosquito breeding in the residential and commercial spaces. The domestic breeding checkers (DBC) are assigned to check outdoor (deserted colonies) and indoor spots including all the households at least once in a week for any breeding sources of Aedes mosquitoes . They will also check for indoor breeding sources such as refrigerators, tanks, flower pots, coconut shells, old unused vehicles for presence of Aedes larvae and will work for their elimination.
The domestic breeding checkers will also undertake fighting activities twice a day in the localities they supervise particularly in hotspots. District Malaria Officer (Prayagraj) AK Singh told TOI, “Health department has roped in as many as seven teams of domestic breeder checkers across the district who would be scanning over one lakh houses by November 30. Figures of health department revealed that a total of 12 dengue cases were reported in city between January 1 and August 3 this year and two of them are still hospitalised.
July month reported three dengue cases. Department has also engaged as many as 18 spraying workers to cover hotspots areas. The department has also taken up an extensive exercise to create awareness among residents to not allow water to stagnate in their surroundings.
The unoccupied and abandoned houses in the city are also under scanner. As many as three teams are also assigned to educate and awake residents in city’s posh pockets alone where majority of the dengue cases were reported from the city last year. Officials claimed that all measures are being taken to ensure proper sanitation and fogging was also carried out in the city on regular basis.
Officials said support of locals was essential to make areas mosquito free. Besides, Prayagraj Municipal Corporation teams have also taken up an exercise to clean water accumulating/ holding spots being found in deserted plots. Dr Singh, meanwhile, said, “Sincere efforts are being made to find out all spots that have turned mosquitoes breeding ground and for that, nagar nigam area is conducting survey of different wards, particularly those pockets that reported maximum dengue cases last year”.
Residents have also been asked to check unused coolers, fridge defrost trays, unused water tanks or rooftops or ground, drains and rotten tyres as these spots often turn the breeding ground of mosquitoes. “Each DBC team has two active members who will not only survey the houses but also destroying the breeding grounds,” he added. Areas like ADA Colony Naini, Awas Vikas Jhunsi, Phaphamau, Mundera, Sulemsarai, Rajapur, Teliyarganj and old city pockets, where maximum breeding sites for mosquitoes were reported, are under health department’s scanner.
DMO, however, said, “Residents should ensure that there should be no accumulation of fresh water in and around their surroundings. He also advised to clean out rain gutters and downspouts on frequent intervals. Clogged gutters are one of the most overlooked breeding sites for mosquitoes around homes.
” In 2023, Sangam city had recorded 550 confirmed dengue cases while the figure in 2022 and 2021 was 1,465 and 1,299 respectively..
