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As temp does down, mosquitoes getting indoors
New Delhi
New Delhi
If you have noticed the mosquito’s annoying buzz at your home of late after a long break, the observation isn’t wrong. Public health officials say that with night temperatures slowly dipping, the blood-sucking insects are finding the interiors of your house cosier to survive in.
“We advise members of the public to exercise caution right now, between late October and February. They must wear full clothes and use mosquito repellents at home, especially at night while sleeping,” said Dr. Lallan Verma, a senior officer with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
“With winters approaching, the early morning temperatures are going as down as 20 degrees Celsius. This is when the mosquito’s preferred ambient mercury level is around 25-30 degrees. So they tend to hide behind curtains and furniture at your home and bite at night,” he said.
While the dengue-causing female Aedes Aegypti bites during the day, if it does not get its quota of human blood in day time, it could feed post evening as well. “With our houses being lit bright and nice at nighttime, it hardly makes a difference to the mosquito,” said Dr N R Tuli, Deputy Health Officer, South Zone of SDMC.
“The population of mosquito is not much right now considering rains have stopped and breeding grounds, such as puddles and containers holding rainwater, have shrunk. But the remaining few are getting into your home to escape the cold and they can be lethal,” he said.
About 189 fresh cases of dengue were reported in Delhi last week, taking the count this year to over 830. The tally till October 19 last year was 644 only. So far, 574 people have tested positive for Malaria and 132 for Chikungunya.
Of the total 833 dengue cases up till this year, 551 were recorded in October, September saw 190 cases. August, July and June reported only 52, 18 and 11 cases, respectively.
