How blasts may lead to rise in malaria

Among the many repercussions of the triple blasts that rocked the city last Wednesday, one could be a rise in cases of malaria in the city.
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In the aftermath of the blasts, inspection visits by three anti-malaria teams, scheduled to visit the city in the second half of July, have been cancelled.

This is quite a setback for the city, as the anti-malaria drive undertaken by the BMC had been yielding palpable results, this year.u00a0

Last month, three teams of entomologists visited the city for inspections one each from the National Vector Borne Disease Control (NVBDC) in Delhi, Delhi National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) and the Directorate of Health Services, Maharashtra.
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These teams visited specific locations in Mumbai to scout for larvae and mosquito samples. The second visit, scheduled for this week, was cancelled owing to the blast.

"The teams were to undertake a second inspection in Mumbai in the second half of July, but after the blasts, the respective bodies decided to defer the trips. They want to wait till the dust settles a bit," said an entomologist who was a member of one of the teams, requesting anonymity.

Collection of samples and surveillance at the breeding sites would start at 6 pm, and continue till 6 am the following day. Much to their surprise, the teams had managed collect only one mosquito in their three-day-long endeavour, and one larva-breeding ground at a construction site in Kurla.

The team had then scheduled another visit for the latter half of July, surmising that after the monsoons set in, there would be a greater possibility of finding breeding sites, and samples of the insect.

Dr Arun Bamne, insecticide department, BMC, said, "In their previous visit, the teams were satisfied with the measures taken by the civic body. They were sent by the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), but are yet to inform us about the next visit."

Dr D S Dakhure, director of DHS, however, denied that the blasts had anything to do with the deferral saying"We have been monitoring the mosquito situation across Mumbai.

When the teams inspected our premises in June, they gave us valuable suggestions, pointing out areas in which we could improve. But on the whole, they were satisfied with the mosquito control work. They will not necessarily be visiting regularly."