E-Paper
Mosquito-eating fishes to fight encephalitis
GAMBUSIA AND Gappy will now spearhead the fight against the dreaded Japanese Encephalitis (JE) that claimed hundreds of lives in Gorakhpur and other districts of UP last year.
GAMBUSIA AND Gappy will now spearhead the fight against the dreaded Japanese Encephalitis (JE) that claimed hundreds of lives in Gorakhpur and other districts of UP last year.
The State government took the step after the apparent failure of the anti-mosquito fogging programme in controlling mosquito breeding.
In a novel initiative, the department of Vector Borne Disease under State Medical and Health Department has issued directions to the local health authorities of all the affected districts, instructing them to identify ponds and lakes for the farming of mosquito fishes in a bid to effectively control the breeding of mosquitoes spreading Japanese Encephalitis.
The Malaria Research Centre located at Hardwar in Uttranchal will provide the technical knowledge and assistance needed by the district authorities for the successful breeding of these fishes.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer (Vector Borne Diseases), Allahabad, Dr RB Singh, said mosquito fish breeding was quite popular in other countries because certain species of fishes act as biological control agent.
“The government has introduced this programme probably for the first time to control mosquito breeding. Besides Allahabad, this programme would also be launched in other parts of UP specially in the Purvanchal districts where mosquito-borne diseases including JE are quite common. In Allahabad the work has already started for identifying ponds for fish breeding,” he said.
“The two species of fishes which have been identified for breeding are Gambusia and Gappy or poecilia reliculata. These fishes feed on the mosquito larvae, adult mosquito or sometimes both. Gambusia is a native live-bearer which thrives in outdoor ponds and besides mosquito larvae they also feed on other harmful inspects. Similarly, Gappy spawns quite quickly and they are also huge mosquito eaters,” he further said.
Dr Singh said the technical assistance, training and other aspects of fish breeding would be handled by Dr VK Dua, senior deputy director, Malaria Research Centre-Ranipur of Hardwar in Uttranchal. The programme would be especially launched in malaria-prone belt of Shankargarh and Meja in Allahabad.
“The local people would also be involved in the programme,” he added.
