Ideal breeding ground in water-starved city

By Ramya Kannan

CHENNAI, SEPT. 5. Even as water-starved Chennai residents save every drop available, they are also providing the best breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti, `dengue' causing mosquito. Unwittingly, the city is creating an atmosphere `conducive' to the breeding of the mosquito, carrying the virus which caused an alarming number of deaths in north India in the past.

Storing water in pots, buckets, tubs and small tanks has become the order of the day. Epidemiological studies have established that Aedes aegypti, day-biting mosquito, breeds in temporarily stored clear water. Though the rainy season is the ideal time for breeding, Chennai, in spite of drought, seems to present the vector with an equally comfortable breeding ground.

The season begins with July and goes on till December-end, according to paediatricians. This is the period when the disease is at its virulent best, they say. ``The index of suspicion must be high'', say the paediatricians at the Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital. It will be safe for parents and paediatricians to suspect and test for dengue, even with the onset of fever.

The severest symptom is the leaking of blood vessels, noticed as a rash. When a patient moves into shock, the blood pressure will drop precipitously and the vital organs will stop functioning leading to death, if there is no proper intervention.

Prevention is more significant, especially as there is no cure for dengue and the only treatment is supportive - administering fluids and monitoring the functioning of the vital organs. Besides, the cost involved is extremely high. The average cost of platelets, an important input, is Rs. 600 per unit. ``We are paying not less than Rs. 3,500 per day for medicines, blood components and hospital charges'', say the relatives of a 10-year-old boy suffering from dengue.

Though Corporation and Health department sources acknowledge that there are cases reported, they say the incidence is not unnatural. Mr. Syed Munir Hoda, Health Secretary, said no `abnormal' increase was reported. In the Institute of Child Health, 124 cases were detected as `positive' dengue last year and 28 dengue positive cases were reported this year (till August).

At the King Institute, where blood samples are tested, an average of 10-12 cases test positive every month. August accounted for 12. ``The number of cases in CHILDS Trust is much more,'' the paediatricians say. The number of dengue cases reported at the hospital since July is 19. And there are three months to go before the dengue season ends.

Dr. P. Srinivasan of the Jeevan Blood Bank says that from August 15 this year to September 5, there was demand for platelets almost everyday. Almost the entire demand was from paediatric hospitals, mostly for viral haemorrhagic fever.

Keeping water containers closed and using mosquito repelling methods are advocated for prevention.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Unkept promises may affect TMC
Next     : Spurt in road accidents