Anti-dengue month focuses on awareness, control & prevention

To make public aware of the dengue fever, the control measures and prevention methods, The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) under the department of Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) observed anti-dengue month in the entire month of July

DIMAPUR — The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) under the department of Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) observed anti-dengue month in the entire month of July, with an aim to make the public aware of the dengue fever, the control measures and prevention methods.

The awareness campaign was carried out in selected colonies and villages of endemic districts, including the highly endemic district of Dimapur and low endemic districts like Mon, Mokokchung, Kohima and Wokha, the H&FW department stated in an update.

During the awareness drive on dengue fever, the public was also informed and made aware of other vector-borne diseases for their safety during the monsoon season.

The vector-borne officers and staff worked tirelessly the entire month for the safety of the public and will continue to keep working till the disease is controlled, it stated.

“Recently, there is an increase in cases of dengue in Dimapur following the onset of monsoon and as the water gets collected in different containers in and around the houses creating mosquitogenic conditions, particularly the Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue virus,” the department informed.

The Urban Vector Borne Disease Scheme (UVBDS) staff based in Dimapur is carrying out their activities in the entire 100 colonies. However, the vector indices like container indices, house indices, breteau indices have still not gone down below the outbreak indication level, it stated.

“This indicates that the mosquito larvae are still found abundantly in and around the houses of the various colonies and particularly at Nagarjan colony, where dengue cases were detected every now and then,” it stated.

The UVBDS and DVBO Dimapur regularly carry out fogging to eliminate all the infected Aedes mosquitoes as well as other mosquitoes.

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However, dengue cannot be controlled immediately because the mosquito transmits the virus to its eggs (trans-ovarian transmission). And when the egg is hatched, the young Aedes mosquito is a virus-infected mosquito and starts infecting the dengue virus to healthy people when it bites.

“Therefore, it is very important that every colony and village remove all the materials in and around the house where water gets collected during the rainy season, even your household use water storage should be covered like syntax, cement tank, drums, buckets etc.,” it stated.

There are various test kits for diagnosing dengue and are in use by different public and private health institutions.

Most private health institutions use Rapid Diagnosis Test Kit (RDT), but according to the Government of India NCVBDC programme guidelines, any dengue detected positive through RDT can be called probable dengue.

So such samples should be sent either to District Hospital Dimapur or NHAK for confirmation through an ELISA test, and if found positive, then only it can be called true dengue positive.

“Dengue is also a notifiable disease and every institution or clinician should immediately report to the district authority, either to the CMO or DVBO, to let them take further necessary actions for its control and prevention measures,” the department stated.

Some of the NVBDCP activities carried out in Nagaland include household larval search every week, particularly in Dimapur urban area. If mosquito larvae are found in any container, the individual or house owner and colony are informed and shown how to remove them.

When there is a high density of larvae present in any drainage or ponds, insecticides are sprayed into those places to kill the mosquito larvae.

The department also releases Guppy fish into the water bodies where water cannot be removed or covered, so as to let the fish eat the mosquito larvae that are present.

Further, the public has been informed that the dengue virus-carrying Aedes mosquito, also called the tiger mosquito, bites during day time and mostly during dawn and dusk.

“Prevention is the best method for any disease and dengue control and prevention is in the hands of each individual and the communities in general. The Vector Borne Disease Control Programme will continue to do its best and request all individuals to actively participate in the control and prevention of dengue for a better tomorrow,” the department added. Anti-dengue Anti-dengueAnti-dengue

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