Noida health department gears up to combat dengue

The health department has started preparations to combat the deadly disease with increased fogging and other activities, especially in dengue-prone areas such as Nithari and Sadarpur, where more cases are reported every year

With incessant rainfall over the past three days, health officials of Gautam Budh Nagar district are worried that dengue cases may increase if fresh water is allowed to accumulate. Noida reported 24 dengue cases so far this year, along with 52 cases of malaria.

Mumbai, India - August 02, 2022: A BMC worker fumigates the area as a preventive measure against the spread of dengue and malaria diseases during monsoon season, at Byculla, in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, August 02, 2022. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Officials said that dengue cases started to trickle in since early August and are expected to rise over the next couple of weeks.

“Heavy rainfall usually washes out the larvae and breeding may not happen. However, in many places people don’t clean up after the rains and the fresh water gets accumulated, especially in old containers on rooftops or unused coolers. If precaution is not taken, the dengue larvae can breed and there can be a sudden rise in dengue cases,” said Rajesh Sharma, district malaria officer.

Incidentally, the district reported a whopping 667 cases last year, which was the highest in the past six years.

The health department has started preparations to combat the deadly disease with increased fogging and other activities, especially in dengue-prone areas such as Nithari and Sadarpur, where more cases are reported every year. Based on clusters with higher cases last year, an entomological survey has also been conducted to check the breeding of mosquitoes.

Officials said that as per the data from last year, Sadarpur and Nithari in Noida and Gamma 1, Pie and Zeta sectors in Greater Noida are some of the areas where precautionary action has already been taken.

“We are continuously monitoring these areas and have started fogging and spraying. We are also conducting awareness drives and are urging residents to make sure that there is no water accumulation in their surroundings. Nithari is a usual suspect as there are many tenants in the village living in small houses who use coolers, where maximum breeding takes place. We have also told institutions that a heavy penalty will be imposed if mosquito breeding is detected,” said Sharma.

Sharma said that dengue cases have been sporadic this year. “However, fogging has been done in areas from where cases have been reported. Last year, the health department had identified 18 hotspots from where about 70% of all dengue cases were reported. In Noida the areas that were most affected were Sadarpur, Chhalera, Mamura, Nithari, Barola, Chhijarsi, Sectors 5, 9, 22 and 51. Similarly, in Greater Noida, most cases have been reported from Alpha 2, Gamma 1, Beta 1, Gaur City 1 and 2, Haibatpur, Kulesara and Surajpur.

Health officials said that dengue prevention is a personal responsibility and the disease can be easily controlled if people are careful and do not let water stagnate.

“The aedes mosquito that causes dengue is a sophisticated insect that breeds only in clean water that usually accumulates inside homes. Also, it doesn’t fly too high or too far from where it breeds. So, mosquitoes that breed outside cannot cause dengue. This is why people should be very careful and not let water accumulate in balconies, coolers, buckets, pots and feeding trays,” Sharma added.