Malaria team yet to spot mosquito breeding sites

In the past three days, the four-member team from the National Institute of Malaria Research, Goa, have failed to find a single breeding site of the malaria spreading mosquito, anopheles, in the wards surveyed, said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday.

In the past three days, the four-member team from the National Institute of Malaria Research, Goa, have failed to find a single breeding site of the malaria spreading mosquito, anopheles, in the wards surveyed, said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday.

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“The central team came to find out the extent and nature of anopheles mosquito breeding in the city. They have not found a single breeding site,” said Mhaiskar.

The four-member team surveyed four wards namely- L ward (Kurla), F South (Parel, Sewri), G South (Prabhadevi, Worli, Chinchpokli) and P North (Malad, Malwani, Dindoshi, Marve).

Mhaiskar said that the dipping rates of malaria positive cases indicate the success of the malaria-control activities in the

city. From May 1 to May 15, the malaria cases this year are 622, as compared to 1492 at the same time last year.

In the next three weeks, BMC health officers will survey 2622 building construction sites in the city to check for breeding grounds for the mosquito.

The BMC will also conduct a random survey of compliance of the 14-day radical treatment for malaria, in which random sample of malaria patients are checked 14 days after doing a blood test, to see if they still suffer from the disease.

On Friday, the team will conduct a meeting with the health officials of the state and the BMC, where they will give feedback and make recommendations on malaria control activities.