Kundli turns malaria hotspot

Tribune News Service

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Sonepat, August 28

With the surge in malaria cases, the Kundli area has become a hot-spot in Sonepat this season. As many as 29 cases of malaria were reported from Sonepat district, of which 15 cases have been reported from Kundli pocket. Apart from this, so far, 19 cases of dengue have also been reported in the district this year.

Dr Manjeet Rathi, Nodal Officer for dengue and malaria, said this time, malaria was spreading faster in comparison to dengue in the district this year.

Only 15 cases of malaria and a total 332 dengue positive cases were reported last year in the district, he added.

Kundli is an industrial hub and the population is over one lakh here. Maximum migrants from other states are living here.

Twelve malaria patients out of 15 found in the Kundli area have a travel history of Hardoi and Sitapur districts of Uttar Pradesh, the Nodal Officer said.

“I personally visited the Kundli area after maximum malaria cases were reported from this particular pocket and found that the people are living in pathetic condition. Sewage water was accumulated in the streets and roads,” he said.

A letter has been sent to the Kundli MC about the drainage of water, Dr Rathi added.

As many as 168 teams, including 162 in the rural areas and six teams in urban areas, have been deployed to conduct the checking of accumulation of water in the areas, vacant plots, coolers, flowerpots, utensils, waste items, utensils etc, Dr Rathi said.

Apart from this, 40 domestic breeding checkers are also in the field, he said.

Notices have also been served on 797 house owners after larvae of dengue were found in their houses, Dr Rathi asserted.

Fogging is being done regularly in the areas under the indoor residual spray (IRS) programme, in which spray of deltametharin medicine, which is being provided to the urban local bodies and Panchayat Department, he said.

“A total of 182 fogging machines are in the district, of which, two machines are vehicle mounted,” he said. The result of deltamethrin is good as it is being sprayed on the walls of the house and its effect is dangerous to adult mosquitoes even after three months of spray, Dr Rathi said.