Residential societies more vulnerable to the disease than slum areas
Mumbai : The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Wednesday tried to cover up the alarming situation on Dengue deaths in the city by claiming that the situation this year is better than in 2013.
Civic officials also said that residential societies in Mumbai were more vulnerable to the disease than slum areas.
Addressing media at the BMC headquarters, Dr. Avinash Supe, Dean of Lokmanya Tilak Hospital, and BMC officials presented some statistics backing the claim on the decline in ‘confirmed’ cases of Dengue. They said that in October this year, there were about 3,000 suspected cases of which 659 were confirmed whereas in October last year, of 2,500 suspected cases, 937 were confirmed.
The BMC further said that 51% of breeding sites of Aedes Aegypti, the Dengue-causing mosquito, are found in non-slum areas while 40% of the breeding happens in slum-like areas and only 9% in slum pockets. The data clearly indicates that elite spaces in the city are most vulnerable to Dengue, civic officials said.
BMC officials also released statistics about the legal action and punishment to offenders who allowed mosquito-breeding sites to thrive in their residential areas. In all, 13,247 notices were handed out and cases were initiated against 864 offenders, while 344 were booked directly under section 381 (B) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act.
These numbers are certainly lower as compared with last year when 19,677 notices were handed out and 690 were booked under 381 (B), the statistics indicated.
The BMC has taken up the task of controlling the epidemic-like situation on war footing and deployed around 900 civic workers for the campaign to control rampant Dengue cases in the city.
Dr. Supe said, “People’s participation is essential in prevention of Dengue as it essentially is an indoor disease wherein most of the breeding of mosquitoes happens in homes of people.”
He added, “We have failed to tackle the situation because of a sheer lack of awareness and support from the people. Therefore, we urge active public participation.”
People from affected and prone areas complain that in spite of rising Dengue cases in the city, fumigation is not done on a regular basis.
However, Dr. Rajan Naringrekar, Head of the Insecticide branch of the Public Health Department repudiated this long standing notion about fumigation. He said, “Reduction of sources (breeding spots) is critical while fogging or fumigation is only the last resort. Also, constant fumigation can only worsen the situation as the mosquitoes get immune to it.”
