Civil surgeon Dr Manjit Singh inspecting a bottle after larvea was found in it, at a house in Phase 5, Mohali.
Mohali, August 13, 2019: Anti-dengue teams of the Mohali health department on Tuesday conducted surprise checking of 1471 houses in the district. The teams found larvae in 78 houses and issued 15 challans to the violators on the spot.
Mohali Civil surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said, “During the special anti-dengue drive in the district, a total of 1471 houses were randomly checked and several containers like coolers, flower pots etc. were found positive for the breeding of Aedes mosquito.”
He said as many as 15 challans were issued on the spot, after the teams detected dengue larvae in 78 houses. Notably, the civil surgeon-led teams had carried out similar checking around twenty days ago and found larvea in 36 houses in the district.
The civil surgeon along with district epidemiologist Dr Shalinder Kaur and other health officials, visited several houses in Phase 5 in the city where 412 houses were surveyed and larvae was found in 21 houses.
The civil surgeon inspected coolers, flower pots, containers and asked the people to avoid formation of stagnant water puddles anywhere as it can be a breeding ground for dengue larvae.
He said it was better to take preventive measures before the seasonal outbreak takes place. He appealed to the people to observe Friday as dry day to make the district dengue-free.
He instructed the health teams to give priority to areas where cases of dengue larvae had been reported in the past. He said that the department was fully geared up for prevention and control of dengue and other diseases as all logistics including chemicals and equipment were in place to deal with any situation.
To create awareness among the masses, the department is already carrying out information, education and communication (IEC) activities in the district.
Elaborating on the disease, the civil surgeon said that dengue is transmitted by the bite of Aedes mosquito which usually targets during the day time.
He added that Aedes mosquito breeds in desert coolers, water storage containers, tires, overhead tanks and other places where water collects.
He appealed to the people that all the water storage containers should be kept covered, besides old tires, broken pots, crockery should be removed.
He advised the people to put insecticides, petrol and kerosene in coolers, containers etc once a week, which cannot be emptied or cleaned.
Symptoms of dengue fever: Sudden High fever, Severe headache, Severe joints and muscle pain, Skin rash, Exhaustion, Pain behind eyes.
Do’s: Remove water from coolers and other small containers at least once a week. Keep overhead tanks covered. Drain off water from the back tray of refrigerator every week. Use mosquito nets or mosquito repellents while sleeping during daytime.
Dont’s: Avoid densely populated residential areas. Do not wear clothes that expose your arms and legs, especially during the rainy season. Children should not be allowed to play in shorts and half sleeved clothes. Do not allow water to stagnate in bird feeding pots. Do not leave toilet pots uncovered while going out of station. Do not use vessels below flowerpots during these months as water stagnates in them if left unchanged.