Cuttack, June 19: The municipal corporation will launch a monsoon awareness drive from next week, at least seven to 10 days earlier than the previous drive last year, to prevent dengue outbreak in the city.
Anticipating that more rain and humid conditions might help mosquito breeding, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation is taking advance measures to check it.
"Apart from creating awareness among residents, a massive cleanliness drive will also be launched in the vulnerable wards, from where dengue cases were reported in the last two years," said city health officer P.K. Pradhan.
A district administration official said that out of the 1,500 cases reported from Cuttack, 10 dengue cases took place in the city last year, while 1,100 cases were reported in 2013.
Keeping in view the rise in the mosquito density level earlier this year, there is a possibility of recurrence of dengue outbreak in the city in 2013.
The number of bites one person gets at a certain area in one hour indicates the area's mosquito density level. Usually, a mosquito density level of 30 bites per hour is considered to be normal, 40 bites are moderate. Any density level beyond 40 is high.
Earlier in January and February, the mosquito density level had reached 68, which had triggered resentment among the residents.
Under such circumstances, there is an urgent need to create awareness by involving people to keep their area clean and prevent the accumulation of rainwater in broken or empty utensils and other objects with hard surface.
"We hope that adequate measures are being taken by the civic body to protect the people from the sting. The civic body should also seek the co-operation of the general public in making such awareness drives successful," said Mahanadi Vihar resident Kishore Swain.
A senior civic official said the corporation would shortly hold a meeting to chalk out a detailed plan to check the incidence and spread of various monsoon related and water-borne diseases.
The cleanliness drive in all the 59 wards would involve the sanitary staff members, local councillors and residents, in phases.
The sanitation drive will mainly focus on intensive bush cutting, clearing blockages in drainage channels and maintaining hygiene in the wards.
Aedes aegypti is the type of mosquito that carries the dengue virus. Pradhan said there was adequate stock of mosquito larvicide oil that was being used to destroy the insect breeding spots in drains and puddles.
The corporation will also procure an additional stock of 48,000 litres of larvicide oil worth Rs 45 lakh. Tenders will shortly be floated in this regard. The decision of launching the fogging drive will be taken after reviewing the situation by July or August, as such drives are usually launched in early September.
