KMC creates awareness to combat Zika virus

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities have urged local residents to clean their water containers to stop breeding of Aedes mosquito that carries Zika virus.

The virus has already wreck havoc in some countries. It also causes dengue. Atin Ghosh, member, mayor-in-council (health) has instructed to conduct massive awareness drive to combat mosquito borne disease in the city.

Accordingly, awareness campaign has been intensified and the workers who are assigned under 100 days work scheme, honorary health workers and members of the raid action team are going from house to house as a part of the awareness drive.  The teams check the overhead tanks and underground reservoirs of apartments, individual houses, state and central government offices, hospitals, nursing homes and schools. “It is not possible for them to visit every household and check the water containers. So participation of people is required to check the virus,” a senior civic official said.

Debashis Biswas, chief vector control officer, said there was no need to panic and at the same time he urged people to listen to the campaign carried out by the health workers in every ward. KMC vans reached at every ward creating awareness through public address system.

He said, “The overhead tanks and underground reservoirs should be tightly covered. The containers, where water is stored in houses, should be covered properly. The containers should be cleaned at least once a week as the larvae of Aedes mosquito takes seven days to grow.” 

“Emptying the containers and cleaning them once a week should be done meticulously to kill the mosquito larvae,” Biswas said.

As the mosquito bites during day time, old people, children and sick people living in dengue prone areas, should use mosquito nets. Mosquito repellent can be used liberally between 6am and 7pm. It will be safe if the temperature of a room is below 16 degrees Celsius as Aedes mosquito cannot breed below that temperature. 

The civic authorities have urged people, who are suffering from fever, to visit its clinic and get their blood tests done.  

For the past few years, the civic authorities have been undertaking vector control drive from January. A well knit programme is chalked out and health workers visit the houses on a routine basis. This has helped the KMC to bring down the number of malaria cases. It may be mentioned that the Centre had lauded the KMC’s vector control drive.