Surat: Spectre of vector-borne diseases looms large

Surat, July 10, 2019: After the first rains in Surat city last week, the open party plots belonging to Surat Municipal Corporation(SMC) as well as private parties in Vesu, Adajan, Pal, Katargam and New City Light have turned into breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

 

At least 120 such open party plots have witnessed waterlogging and added to that, in many places construction activities are going on, only multiplying fears of outbreak of vector-borne disease.

 

“The dual weather is affecting people, mostly the elders. Added to it is the mosquito menace which is likely to push up number of sick patients in the city very rapidly,” said Darshan Patel, a physician in Vesu area. He added that he has already treated many patients complaining of fever in the last few days and that the rise in cases is almost 15 per cent.

 

Health department of SMC has started its rounds of conducting anti-larval and anti-mosquito breeding drives in the last two days.

 

Aashish Naik, deputy commissioner of health in SMC, said, “Spraying anti-malarial powder, releasing Guppi fish in the puddles to eat away larva so that mosquitoes cannot multiply, spraying of medicines is being undertaken.”

 

He also said that generally after the first rains, water collected in the open plots takes time to be absorbed in the dry soil. “Clearing of such the puddles is generally not possible or not done. However, we try and take care that anti-larval treatment of different nature is undertaken in such cases,” he added.

 

The issues creep up where private parties who own such plots don’t pay attention to the hygiene issues creating hassles for the locals in their area.

 

In the past, rains also drove up cases of malaria, dengue and other vector-driven diseases by at least 15-20 per cent in the city ET Health