Why Is Pune Unable To Control Spread Of Dengue?

#BreakDengue
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The Pune monsoon has seen a sharp increase in the case of Dengue and the city is still grossly unprepared to tackle the spread despite efforts that the civic authorities claim to be putting in.

Dengue has been plaguing Pune for long now, despite which it hasn’t been contained till date. As per recent data obtained from the PMC ( Pune Municipal Corporation), there were as many as 53 cases of dengue reported in Pune this year.

The civic corporations claim to be working effectively on curbing the breeding of mosquitos, yet citizens opine that there is a lot of negligence on the part of the authorities.

Pune 365 speaks to the officials, doctors and the citizens on the measures taken to curb the mosquito breeding in the city.

Dr Roshan Palresha, Emergency Medicine Specialist says, “There is certainly a rise in the cases of Dengue, with the climate change every third person is affected by viral fever infections.

PMC Authorities are doing their job well, I have seen PMC vans doing their work diligently. All preventive measures are taken care of, and there are numerous drives by the government for checking the breeding spots in the city and spreading awareness”

It is time that citizens must start working towards a healthy environment. At an individual level, citizens can always avoid storing water, water logging in their premises, Water from pots, coolers, drums should be drained out, it is the biggest place for mosquito breeding.

Keeping yourself covered during monsoon is essential, Palresha added

Sanjay Wavare, head of the insect control department of the PMC says, “It is a man-made disease, citizens are very casual about mosquito breeding. Even though the disease is spread by the bite of Aedes Mosquito, people have a very lenient approach towards it.”

Our department has been consistent with spreading the awareness all over the city. PMC has limited staff, yet teams are sent to all parts of the city to check for the mosquito breeding sites, and if found the team ensures they are destroyed.

Apart from that regular fogging and spraying of insecticides is carried out by the department effectively.

Along with this, our citizens should also be responsible for keeping their environment healthy and clean.

They should take necessary steps to prevent mosquito breeding in their localities and spread awareness in their locality.

Ramesh Ghate, Businessman says, “It is happening only because the authorities didn’t take effective measures to curb the mosquito breeding.

PMC claims about spreading awareness, citizens are clear enough about what dengue is and how it is spread. It is just that no preventive measures beyond are taken.”

“Not a single fogging van is seen in the city, it been a month since the monsoon has started. Monsoon is the season in which various vector-borne diseases are on the rise, yet no measures are taken by the authorities,” says Gauri Shashank, Graphic Designer.

Due to the lack of proper water supply, people tend to store water in their houses, which leads to the breeding of Dengue mosquito. Another issue is the stored water at the construction sites which is also responsible for the rise in cases of dengue.

Heaps of garbage and waterlogging are the common issue on which civic authorities need to work proactively.

Despite repeated complaints, both the civic authorities and local corporators neglect the seriousness of the issue, Gauri added.

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Ankita Malekar