KMC study, ‘fogging is a puerile exercise’, gets global acclamation

Kolkata: A study undertaken by the Vector Control Department of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to evaluate the impact of fogging on the spread of dengue in the KMC area came out with the startling revelation that fogging is a puerile exercise has been acknowledged globally with its publication at the latest edition of International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR).

In 2017, the impact of fogging on transmission of dengue was studied in Kolkata and the measure failed to yield any positive results.

Despite the massive fogging being carried out in different municipal wards, no sign of a reduction in the number of dengue cases was visible.

At the behest of Atin Ghosh, Deputy Mayor of KMC fogging was banned in 2019 and an era of vector management by applying all possible means of source reduction was brought in.

Following Ghosh’s instruction, the Health Department of KMC printed leaflets containing messages against fogging and distributed them among the city people, including political leaders

“We have prioritised the reduction of mosquito breeding sources by making phenomenal infrastructural development. If we want to prevent dengue, we need to contemplate trying all possible tricks for prompt detection and reduction of Aedes breeding sources by involving all the departments of Health, Solid Waste Management etc,” Debasish Biswas, KMC’s Chief Vector Control Officer said.

Biswas regretted that unproductive fogging is still done by many urban local bodies and state Health departments as an effective means of preventing the spread of dengue. The practice needs to be banned everywhere to win the battle against this arboviral disease.

In 2017, altogether 2,374 cases of dengue with 5 confirmed deaths were reported in the KMC area.

The fogging operation continued for a period of 4 months (August to November) and it all ran indiscriminately at the insistence of different ward councillors. But the efforts proved abortive. Fogging could not check the rise in the number of dengue cases. September alone contributed 590 dengue cases and the contribution of October was 847. The number of cases registered in November was 63.3 per cent higher than recorded in August.