Background & objectives: Dengue emerged as an important public health problem in Tamil Nadu f... more Background & objectives: Dengue emerged as an important public health problem in Tamil Nadu from 2000 onwards, reported in all the districts as an endemic disease of Tamil Nadu except Nilgiris district. So this study was carried out to understand the dengue epidemiology in Nilgiris district. Methods: Block-wise study was made at the Nilgiris district. The clinicians at the Nilgiris Adivasi Welfare Association hospitals (NAWA) situated in Kotagiri, Kozhikarai and Primary Health Centers from Kunjpannai, Arayoor, and Soloor Mattam, examined and recorded symptoms and collected blood samples from the dengue-suspected patients. These samples were centrifuged at 4°C and stored. Serum samples (267 nos.) collected from dengue-suspected patients for two years period from 2014 to 2016 were screened for dengue infection. Results: First year study conducted during 2014-15 showed 13 dengue positives (8.39%) mainly from Kotagiri block (9 nos. - 69.2%) and the second year study conducted during 2015-16 showed 12 dengue positives (10.71%) found mostly from Udagamandalam block (6 nos.- 50%). People belonging to 6 different tribes - Irular, Toda, Kota, Kurumba, Kattunaickan, and Paniya were found infected with dengue and more Irular positives were recorded in both the years (5 Irular-2014-15 & 11 Irular -2015-16). First year detected more female positives (92.3%) whereas the second year showed 5 males (41.7%) and 7 females (58.3%). Interpretation & conclusion: This study unearthed the hidden disease dengue to be prevalent among the tribal community and emphasized the need for the establishment of a permanent dengue surveillance system with improved disease diagnostics, to initiate effective vector control efforts to stop dengue transmission from this hilly region.
Background & objectives: A longitudinal, entomological and virological study was conducted from 2... more Background & objectives: A longitudinal, entomological and virological study was conducted from 2007 to 2010 in four dengue fever affected areas of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala to understand the risk factors involved in the dengue transmission. Methods: Aedes surveys were carried out seasonally in the selected localities both indoors and peridomestic sites. Water holding containers were sampled for the presence of immature. Outdoor and indoor resting/landing mosquitoes were collected. Blood meal identification was performed by gel diffusion test and viral assay using the ELISA test. Results: The species found were Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linn.), Ae. (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) and Ae. (Stegomyia) vittatus (Bigot). Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus immature stages were also found during the study period. Aedes aegypti was the only prevalent species in the water-starved Vizhinjam, a rural coastal area with breteau index (BI) ranging from 40 to 271. Aedes albopictus was recorded in rest of the three surveyed localities—two urban and one rural ghat areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. Interpretation & conclusion: The vector control measures should be focused mainly on source reduction of water storage containers present in both outdoor (Ae. albopictus and Ae. vittatus) and indoor (Ae. aegypti). To achieve effective vector management, a public health response beyond routine larviciding or focal spraying is essential throughout the year.
Sir, Vector-borne diseases are a major cause of human suffering both in terms of morbidity and mo... more Sir, Vector-borne diseases are a major cause of human suffering both in terms of morbidity and mortality. Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne disease, caused by flavivirus that infects vertebrate hosts, primarily birds belonging to the family Ardeidae and swine, naturally maintained in an enzootic cycle1,2. An outbreak, suspected to be JE occurred in the Muzaffarpur district, Bihar in June, 2011. The symptoms were high fever, followed by bouts of unconsciousness and convulsions akin to a type of JE were noticed. Several children died in Tirhut division alone with the maximum number of deaths concentrated in and around Muzaffarpur district. During the month of June, 125 cases and 43 deaths were reported from both Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) and Krishna Daviprasad Kesarival Institution (KDKM) in the district. Although all the afflicted children uniformly suffered from high fever, which gave way to convulsions and seizures, and brought in a semi-consciousness state for treatment, but the possibility of JE was ruled out based on the analysis of human serum samples in Muzaffarpur district during July 2011. As no confirmed reports were available on the aetiology of the present outbreak, the secondary data available confirmed that the mysterious fever was not JE and the cases were also negative for Chandipura and Nipah3,4,5. The Centre for Research in Medical Entomology (CRME), Madurai, Tamil Nadu undertook an investigation in July 2011 on entomo-virological aspects to confirm/rule out the JE virus involvement in the vector mosquitoes. Investigation of a mosquito borne epidemic is mainly based on clinical case reporting and abundance of vector mosquitoes. The monitoring of virus infection in vector mosquitoes is an essential component for the confirmation of the same6. The main objective of the investigation was to determine the JEV infection in mosquito vector populations to understand their role in the present outbreak. During the investigation, the mosquito vector species composition in the affected villages of the district was recorded to know the density and diversity of the prevalent vector. Mosquitoes resting on vegetation and bushes around cattle sheds and pigstys were collected after dusk with the help of oral aspirator and flash torch, and transported to the laboratory for identification to the species level based on standard identification keys available for Culex vishnui subgroup7,8. In the Nawada village of Musahari primary health centre (PHC), only Culex quinquefasciatus and Armigeres subalbatus were collected and in Manickpur village of the same PHC Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Mansonia uniformis, Anopeles subpictus, An. vagus and Aedes lineatopennis were collected. In Tiwari Tola village of Kanti PHC, the mosquito species namely Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. pseudovishnui, An. vagus, Ae. lineatopennis and Ar. subalbatus were collected. In the village Choppara of Bochahan PHC the mosquitoes like Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Mn. uniformis, An. vagus, Ae. lineatopennis and Ar. subalbatus were collected. Subsequently collections were carried out in the village Nakta situated in the Motipur PHC where the mosquitoes like Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus and Ar. subalbatus were collected. Lastly in the Ganipur Beja village from Sakra PHC, mosquitoes like Cx. pseudovishnui, Cx. fuscocephala, Cx. (Lut.) fuscanus. An. subpictus, Ae. lineatopennis and Ar.subalbatus were collected. Thus, a total of 11 species of mosquitoes (Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. pseudovishnui, Cx. fuscocephala, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. (Lut.) fuscanus, Ae. lineatopennis, Mn. uniformis, An. subpictus, An. vagus and Ar. subalbatus) were collected. In addition, Cx. infula, An. subpictus, Ae. vittatus and Ae. lineatopennis were also collected from the larval survey conducted in paddy fields, cement cisterns, etc. Antigen capture ELISA was carried out to detect the JE antigen in the pools prepared with Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (5 pools), Cx. quinquefasciatus (8), Cx. gelidus (4), Cx. pseudovishnui (2), Cx. fuscocephala (1), Cx. fuscanus (1), Cx. infula (1), An. subpictus (5), Ar. subalbatus (8), An. vagus (3), and Mn. uniformis (3) pools. All the 41 pools tested were found negative for JEV. Mosquito pools, Ae. vittatus (2 pools) and Ae. lineatopennis (2 pools) were also tested for dengue and found negative. So far JE virus infection in vector mosquitoes has not been reported from this district of Bihar. Even though Bihar State is prone to many vector borne diseases, information on vector biodiversity is scanty. The JEV infection in mosquitoes could not be detected from the collected samples of the affected areas. The absence of JEV infection in vector mosquitoes further supports the absence of JE positives in the serological investigations. A detailed in-depth longitudinal study need to be undertaken further…
Background & objective: An outbreak of chikungunya fever characterized by prolonged incapacitatio... more Background & objective: An outbreak of chikungunya fever characterized by prolonged incapacitation in the Lakshadweep islands in Indian Ocean occurred in November 2006. We undertook the entomological and epidemiological investigations on the Chikungunya outbreak in the Lakshadweep islands, Indian Ocean. Methods: Epidemic information in the affected places was obtained from the local hospital records. Entomological observations like larval survey and the adult resting/landing collections by the hand collection methods were individually conducted in the two affected islands Andrott and Kalpeni in November and December 2006. Results: The main breeding sources of the mosquitoes were the rodent-devoured coconuts, coconut shells, areca nut soaking mud and plastic pots, discarded containers, grinding stones, metal containers and plastic containers. Aedes albopictus was pre-dominantly present in the Lakshadweep islands. Interpretation & conclusion: It is concluded that the routine campaigns need to be organized regularly within the community highlighting the potential breeding grounds of mosquitoes and the possible control methods. Source reduction strategies like destruction of coconut shells and rodent-devoured coconuts by burning or by burying them inside the ground. Ae. albopictus played major role as the vector mosquitoes responsible for the chikungunya transmission.
Background: An outbreak of Zika fever occurred in Thiruvananthapuram City, Kerala, India during 2... more Background: An outbreak of Zika fever occurred in Thiruvananthapuram City, Kerala, India during 2021. We investigated the same, on request of Kerala state health administration towards proposing containment strategies. Methods: Epidemiological and entomological investigations as well as genome analysis of ZIKA Virus (ZIKV) involved in the infections were performed, targeting crucial and phylogenetically important mutations in the Capsid-pre Membrane, Envelope and Non-Structural protein -5 gene sequences. Results: A clustering pattern of cases was observed during the outbreak, with the presumed index case from a multi-speciality hospital, in Thiruvananthapuram city. The causative ZIKV belonged to the Asian strain, however, distinct from the pandemic American lineage. The predominant Aedes albopictus (65.55%), Aedes aegypti (22.0%) and Aedes vittatus (12.0%) species were found naturally infected with ZIKV, the Minimum Infection Rates being 17.9, 7.8 and 3.6 respectively. Also, trans-ovarian transmission was recorded in Ae. albopictus. Conclusions: ZIKV isolates presented with four unique non synonymous mutations viz., “I22T” & “I160M” (pre-Membrane) and “D348N” & “V473L” (Envelope) during the outbreak which’s implications remains to be investigated. Phylogenetic analysis of the gene sequences indicated the emergence of a distinct genetic lineage of ZIKV in India. Our investigations evince the urgent need of development of a systematic country-wide surveillance strategy, towards the prevention/ preparedness/ containment of a massive outbreak of this emerging arbo-viral disease. Funding: This study was performed utilizing intramural funds of Indian Council of Medical Research-Vector Control Research Centre. Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no known competing financial interests or personal relationships/interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this manuscript. Ethical Approval: As the study was an outbreak investigation carried out on the request of the Department of Health Services, Government of Kerala. India, institutional ethical approval was not essential the time of investigation. Most of the samples processed were from mosquito specimens. Informed consent forms were obtained from all the four patients from whom blood samples were obtained during the investigation. However, towards on going further investigations institutional ethical approval was obtained retrospectively.
In India, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continues to be a public health issue in some parts of our c... more In India, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continues to be a public health issue in some parts of our country. JE surveillance includes early reporting of clinical cases, sentinel sero-surveys and vector surveillance in the endemic areas. In the present study, JE longitudinal vector surveillance and epidemiological investigations were carried out for the first time during two consecutive years in the endemic district of Tamil Nadu. 22,538 mosquitoes were collected, species identified and screened for JE virus by RT-PCR. Predominant was Culex tritaeniorhynchus (60%) and followed by it Anopheles subpictus (23%), Culex quinquefasciatus (8%) and Culex gelidus (3%). It suggests that Culex tritaeniorhynchus may act as major vector and An. subpictus may act as secondary vector. Monsoon and post-monsoon seasons favour breeding of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus leading to vector abundance. Preferential resting sites for Cx. tritaeniorhynchus were pig and cattle shed. Although clinical cases have been repor...
As original tribal ways of living have morphed from a forest dweller existence, dengue is no long... more As original tribal ways of living have morphed from a forest dweller existence, dengue is no longer an urban infection but is now also found in rural hilly areas. The spread of dengue is enhanced by the frequent movement of people to endemic areas where there is a vector mosquito presence. The impact of the virus is known to be great in the immunologically naive population. Our study reports on the threat of the dengue virus in these hilly areas.
2014 International Conference on Recent Trends in Information Technology, 2014
Suppression of mosquito breeding is a mandatory first step to reduce the source of major mosquito... more Suppression of mosquito breeding is a mandatory first step to reduce the source of major mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria and Dengue fever. This paper deals with an innovative method for the identification of mosquito breeding sites (stagnant pools), using wireless networking technologies and removal of stagnant water through electromechanical pumping systems. The stagnant water areas are first identified and reported by public users using a web-based portal or using Short Message Service (SMS) through mobile phones. Based on the complaints stored in the database, a route via the stagnant sites is drawn on a map using a Geographic Information System (GIS). A vehicle carrying a Global Positioning system (GPS), on-board camera, and a pumping system with a tank for removing the stagnant water traverses the via points of stagnant pools. Finally, stagnant water is removed using a pumping system and stored in the onboard tank for emptying later. Results of the implementation of a proof-of-concept prototype system are reported, to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Background & objectives: Dengue emerged as an important public health problem in Tamil Nadu f... more Background & objectives: Dengue emerged as an important public health problem in Tamil Nadu from 2000 onwards, reported in all the districts as an endemic disease of Tamil Nadu except Nilgiris district. So this study was carried out to understand the dengue epidemiology in Nilgiris district. Methods: Block-wise study was made at the Nilgiris district. The clinicians at the Nilgiris Adivasi Welfare Association hospitals (NAWA) situated in Kotagiri, Kozhikarai and Primary Health Centers from Kunjpannai, Arayoor, and Soloor Mattam, examined and recorded symptoms and collected blood samples from the dengue-suspected patients. These samples were centrifuged at 4°C and stored. Serum samples (267 nos.) collected from dengue-suspected patients for two years period from 2014 to 2016 were screened for dengue infection. Results: First year study conducted during 2014-15 showed 13 dengue positives (8.39%) mainly from Kotagiri block (9 nos. - 69.2%) and the second year study conducted during 2015-16 showed 12 dengue positives (10.71%) found mostly from Udagamandalam block (6 nos.- 50%). People belonging to 6 different tribes - Irular, Toda, Kota, Kurumba, Kattunaickan, and Paniya were found infected with dengue and more Irular positives were recorded in both the years (5 Irular-2014-15 & 11 Irular -2015-16). First year detected more female positives (92.3%) whereas the second year showed 5 males (41.7%) and 7 females (58.3%). Interpretation & conclusion: This study unearthed the hidden disease dengue to be prevalent among the tribal community and emphasized the need for the establishment of a permanent dengue surveillance system with improved disease diagnostics, to initiate effective vector control efforts to stop dengue transmission from this hilly region.
Background & objectives: A longitudinal, entomological and virological study was conducted from 2... more Background & objectives: A longitudinal, entomological and virological study was conducted from 2007 to 2010 in four dengue fever affected areas of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala to understand the risk factors involved in the dengue transmission. Methods: Aedes surveys were carried out seasonally in the selected localities both indoors and peridomestic sites. Water holding containers were sampled for the presence of immature. Outdoor and indoor resting/landing mosquitoes were collected. Blood meal identification was performed by gel diffusion test and viral assay using the ELISA test. Results: The species found were Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linn.), Ae. (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) and Ae. (Stegomyia) vittatus (Bigot). Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus immature stages were also found during the study period. Aedes aegypti was the only prevalent species in the water-starved Vizhinjam, a rural coastal area with breteau index (BI) ranging from 40 to 271. Aedes albopictus was recorded in rest of the three surveyed localities—two urban and one rural ghat areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. Interpretation & conclusion: The vector control measures should be focused mainly on source reduction of water storage containers present in both outdoor (Ae. albopictus and Ae. vittatus) and indoor (Ae. aegypti). To achieve effective vector management, a public health response beyond routine larviciding or focal spraying is essential throughout the year.
Sir, Vector-borne diseases are a major cause of human suffering both in terms of morbidity and mo... more Sir, Vector-borne diseases are a major cause of human suffering both in terms of morbidity and mortality. Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne disease, caused by flavivirus that infects vertebrate hosts, primarily birds belonging to the family Ardeidae and swine, naturally maintained in an enzootic cycle1,2. An outbreak, suspected to be JE occurred in the Muzaffarpur district, Bihar in June, 2011. The symptoms were high fever, followed by bouts of unconsciousness and convulsions akin to a type of JE were noticed. Several children died in Tirhut division alone with the maximum number of deaths concentrated in and around Muzaffarpur district. During the month of June, 125 cases and 43 deaths were reported from both Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) and Krishna Daviprasad Kesarival Institution (KDKM) in the district. Although all the afflicted children uniformly suffered from high fever, which gave way to convulsions and seizures, and brought in a semi-consciousness state for treatment, but the possibility of JE was ruled out based on the analysis of human serum samples in Muzaffarpur district during July 2011. As no confirmed reports were available on the aetiology of the present outbreak, the secondary data available confirmed that the mysterious fever was not JE and the cases were also negative for Chandipura and Nipah3,4,5. The Centre for Research in Medical Entomology (CRME), Madurai, Tamil Nadu undertook an investigation in July 2011 on entomo-virological aspects to confirm/rule out the JE virus involvement in the vector mosquitoes. Investigation of a mosquito borne epidemic is mainly based on clinical case reporting and abundance of vector mosquitoes. The monitoring of virus infection in vector mosquitoes is an essential component for the confirmation of the same6. The main objective of the investigation was to determine the JEV infection in mosquito vector populations to understand their role in the present outbreak. During the investigation, the mosquito vector species composition in the affected villages of the district was recorded to know the density and diversity of the prevalent vector. Mosquitoes resting on vegetation and bushes around cattle sheds and pigstys were collected after dusk with the help of oral aspirator and flash torch, and transported to the laboratory for identification to the species level based on standard identification keys available for Culex vishnui subgroup7,8. In the Nawada village of Musahari primary health centre (PHC), only Culex quinquefasciatus and Armigeres subalbatus were collected and in Manickpur village of the same PHC Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Mansonia uniformis, Anopeles subpictus, An. vagus and Aedes lineatopennis were collected. In Tiwari Tola village of Kanti PHC, the mosquito species namely Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. pseudovishnui, An. vagus, Ae. lineatopennis and Ar. subalbatus were collected. In the village Choppara of Bochahan PHC the mosquitoes like Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Mn. uniformis, An. vagus, Ae. lineatopennis and Ar. subalbatus were collected. Subsequently collections were carried out in the village Nakta situated in the Motipur PHC where the mosquitoes like Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus and Ar. subalbatus were collected. Lastly in the Ganipur Beja village from Sakra PHC, mosquitoes like Cx. pseudovishnui, Cx. fuscocephala, Cx. (Lut.) fuscanus. An. subpictus, Ae. lineatopennis and Ar.subalbatus were collected. Thus, a total of 11 species of mosquitoes (Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, Cx. pseudovishnui, Cx. fuscocephala, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. (Lut.) fuscanus, Ae. lineatopennis, Mn. uniformis, An. subpictus, An. vagus and Ar. subalbatus) were collected. In addition, Cx. infula, An. subpictus, Ae. vittatus and Ae. lineatopennis were also collected from the larval survey conducted in paddy fields, cement cisterns, etc. Antigen capture ELISA was carried out to detect the JE antigen in the pools prepared with Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (5 pools), Cx. quinquefasciatus (8), Cx. gelidus (4), Cx. pseudovishnui (2), Cx. fuscocephala (1), Cx. fuscanus (1), Cx. infula (1), An. subpictus (5), Ar. subalbatus (8), An. vagus (3), and Mn. uniformis (3) pools. All the 41 pools tested were found negative for JEV. Mosquito pools, Ae. vittatus (2 pools) and Ae. lineatopennis (2 pools) were also tested for dengue and found negative. So far JE virus infection in vector mosquitoes has not been reported from this district of Bihar. Even though Bihar State is prone to many vector borne diseases, information on vector biodiversity is scanty. The JEV infection in mosquitoes could not be detected from the collected samples of the affected areas. The absence of JEV infection in vector mosquitoes further supports the absence of JE positives in the serological investigations. A detailed in-depth longitudinal study need to be undertaken further…
Background & objective: An outbreak of chikungunya fever characterized by prolonged incapacitatio... more Background & objective: An outbreak of chikungunya fever characterized by prolonged incapacitation in the Lakshadweep islands in Indian Ocean occurred in November 2006. We undertook the entomological and epidemiological investigations on the Chikungunya outbreak in the Lakshadweep islands, Indian Ocean. Methods: Epidemic information in the affected places was obtained from the local hospital records. Entomological observations like larval survey and the adult resting/landing collections by the hand collection methods were individually conducted in the two affected islands Andrott and Kalpeni in November and December 2006. Results: The main breeding sources of the mosquitoes were the rodent-devoured coconuts, coconut shells, areca nut soaking mud and plastic pots, discarded containers, grinding stones, metal containers and plastic containers. Aedes albopictus was pre-dominantly present in the Lakshadweep islands. Interpretation & conclusion: It is concluded that the routine campaigns need to be organized regularly within the community highlighting the potential breeding grounds of mosquitoes and the possible control methods. Source reduction strategies like destruction of coconut shells and rodent-devoured coconuts by burning or by burying them inside the ground. Ae. albopictus played major role as the vector mosquitoes responsible for the chikungunya transmission.
Background: An outbreak of Zika fever occurred in Thiruvananthapuram City, Kerala, India during 2... more Background: An outbreak of Zika fever occurred in Thiruvananthapuram City, Kerala, India during 2021. We investigated the same, on request of Kerala state health administration towards proposing containment strategies. Methods: Epidemiological and entomological investigations as well as genome analysis of ZIKA Virus (ZIKV) involved in the infections were performed, targeting crucial and phylogenetically important mutations in the Capsid-pre Membrane, Envelope and Non-Structural protein -5 gene sequences. Results: A clustering pattern of cases was observed during the outbreak, with the presumed index case from a multi-speciality hospital, in Thiruvananthapuram city. The causative ZIKV belonged to the Asian strain, however, distinct from the pandemic American lineage. The predominant Aedes albopictus (65.55%), Aedes aegypti (22.0%) and Aedes vittatus (12.0%) species were found naturally infected with ZIKV, the Minimum Infection Rates being 17.9, 7.8 and 3.6 respectively. Also, trans-ovarian transmission was recorded in Ae. albopictus. Conclusions: ZIKV isolates presented with four unique non synonymous mutations viz., “I22T” & “I160M” (pre-Membrane) and “D348N” & “V473L” (Envelope) during the outbreak which’s implications remains to be investigated. Phylogenetic analysis of the gene sequences indicated the emergence of a distinct genetic lineage of ZIKV in India. Our investigations evince the urgent need of development of a systematic country-wide surveillance strategy, towards the prevention/ preparedness/ containment of a massive outbreak of this emerging arbo-viral disease. Funding: This study was performed utilizing intramural funds of Indian Council of Medical Research-Vector Control Research Centre. Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no known competing financial interests or personal relationships/interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this manuscript. Ethical Approval: As the study was an outbreak investigation carried out on the request of the Department of Health Services, Government of Kerala. India, institutional ethical approval was not essential the time of investigation. Most of the samples processed were from mosquito specimens. Informed consent forms were obtained from all the four patients from whom blood samples were obtained during the investigation. However, towards on going further investigations institutional ethical approval was obtained retrospectively.
In India, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continues to be a public health issue in some parts of our c... more In India, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continues to be a public health issue in some parts of our country. JE surveillance includes early reporting of clinical cases, sentinel sero-surveys and vector surveillance in the endemic areas. In the present study, JE longitudinal vector surveillance and epidemiological investigations were carried out for the first time during two consecutive years in the endemic district of Tamil Nadu. 22,538 mosquitoes were collected, species identified and screened for JE virus by RT-PCR. Predominant was Culex tritaeniorhynchus (60%) and followed by it Anopheles subpictus (23%), Culex quinquefasciatus (8%) and Culex gelidus (3%). It suggests that Culex tritaeniorhynchus may act as major vector and An. subpictus may act as secondary vector. Monsoon and post-monsoon seasons favour breeding of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus leading to vector abundance. Preferential resting sites for Cx. tritaeniorhynchus were pig and cattle shed. Although clinical cases have been repor...
As original tribal ways of living have morphed from a forest dweller existence, dengue is no long... more As original tribal ways of living have morphed from a forest dweller existence, dengue is no longer an urban infection but is now also found in rural hilly areas. The spread of dengue is enhanced by the frequent movement of people to endemic areas where there is a vector mosquito presence. The impact of the virus is known to be great in the immunologically naive population. Our study reports on the threat of the dengue virus in these hilly areas.
2014 International Conference on Recent Trends in Information Technology, 2014
Suppression of mosquito breeding is a mandatory first step to reduce the source of major mosquito... more Suppression of mosquito breeding is a mandatory first step to reduce the source of major mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria and Dengue fever. This paper deals with an innovative method for the identification of mosquito breeding sites (stagnant pools), using wireless networking technologies and removal of stagnant water through electromechanical pumping systems. The stagnant water areas are first identified and reported by public users using a web-based portal or using Short Message Service (SMS) through mobile phones. Based on the complaints stored in the database, a route via the stagnant sites is drawn on a map using a Geographic Information System (GIS). A vehicle carrying a Global Positioning system (GPS), on-board camera, and a pumping system with a tank for removing the stagnant water traverses the via points of stagnant pools. Finally, stagnant water is removed using a pumping system and stored in the onboard tank for emptying later. Results of the implementation of a proof-of-concept prototype system are reported, to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
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