Krishna district is prone to three kinds of vector –borne infections: Anopheles mosquito genus that causes malaria, Aedes genus that leads to the life threatening dengue and culex genus that is responsible for the spread of filariasis.
According to Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Chief Medical Officer M. Satyanarayana Raju, the basic reason for the spread of the disease in monsoon is stagnation of fresh water.
Water stagnation
“Stagnation of water should not be allowed. Drain out the stagnated water or stay away from it, as this is where the mosquito larvae get harvested,” he said.
The CMO also wanted water storage at home should not be for a long time.
“Do not allow the water to be stored for over a week. Clean the container and store again after drying it. The life cycle of larvae is one-week, therefore kill it before it multiplies, and keep your surroundings clean,” he advised people. Dr. Raju also advised people not to consume over the counter medicines in case of fever during the monsoon season.
Diagnostic centres
“Apart from the numerous private diagnostic centres, there are 22 urban health centres, catering to 3.5 lakh population and 120 slums. Get your blood smear test done and if malaria strains are found, undergo the full 14-day treatment plan,” he said. Acquiescing with the VMC’s CMO, DMHO J. Sarasajakshi told The Hindu , that people should not just depend on NS1 antigen test, if suspected of dengue. They should go for the ELISA test as it is the only confirmatory test for dengue.
“ The ELISA test is done free of cost at Government General Hospital in the city and at the government hospital at Machilipatnam,” Dr. Sarasajakshi said. Dr. Raju also urged the people to be a bit cooperative during this season.
