In response to the rising number of dengue cases in Mangaluru, the urban local body has decided to form an expert committee involving doctors to devise effective prevention measures. Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur chaired a special meeting at the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) with health department officials on Tuesday.
Corporators from both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress expressed concerns about the increasing dengue cases, particularly in 10 wards. The mayor announced that a team of doctors, led by Dr. Naveen Chandra Kulal, the district vector-borne disease control program officer, will oversee dengue control measures in the city. The initiative will involve medical colleges, doctors, nurses, students, ASHA workers, multipurpose workers (MPW) of the MCC, and representatives from various organizations. Separate committees will be established in each ward to implement larvicide spraying, fogging, and testing of symptomatic patients.
An online app, introduced in 2014 to combat malaria, will be adapted for dengue control, utilizing the command and control center (CCC) of Mangaluru Smart City Limited. Corporator AC Vinayaraj noted that the app significantly reduced malaria cases from nearly 2,000 in 2014 to 113 this year.
Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta emphasized the need for a proper mechanism to collect data on dengue cases, expressing doubts about MCC’s preparedness. Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath, chief whip of the MCC council Premanand Shetty, opposition leader Praveen Chandra Alva, and MCC commissioner Anand CL attended the meeting.
Dr. Kulal reported 113 dengue cases in the city limits out of 263 in Dakshina Kannada district since January. The WHO advises that wards with five confirmed cases be considered affected. The Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) updates cases daily, prompting the health department to spray larvicides like temephos and Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) in affected areas.