The Ministry of Health and Wellness, with the assistance of other stakeholders, is actively engaged in carrying out fogging, larviciding and other vector control activities in dengue hotspot regions. Nonetheless, to accelerate the curbing of cases, it is equally imperative for the population to clean their surroundings and eliminate potential mosquito breeding places.
This was the gist of the statement made by the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, this afternoon, at Les Salines, at the launching of vector control activities.
The Director General Health Services, Dr Bhooshun Ori, as well as officers from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, the Special Mobile Force and the Special Support Unit were also present.
Dr Jagutpal informed that there is, at present, an estimated 600 active dengue fever cases, spread across the island, but concentrated in Port Louis and the northern regions. He underpinned the unpredictability of weather conditions, specifically high precipitation and humidity, as increasing the likelihood for more water accumulation, hence, exacerbating the dengue situation in the country.
The Health Minister, moreover, indicated that rapid and PCR tests are done in health centres and hospitals to detect dengue cases. Currently, some 84 people are hospitalised and others are receiving home visits from doctors of the Domiciliary Monitoring Unit, he pointed out. The Vector Biology and Control Unit, he affirmed, is also playing a pivotal role in conducting scientific studies to examine the density of mosquitoes, allowing for the devising of effective strategies to counter the proliferation of dengue.
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The congregation of people during the forthcoming festivals including Maha Shivratree, the forty hours devotion, National Day Celebrations and Eid al-Fitr will necessitate more and regular vector control activities, he remarked. As such, large fogging and larviciding teams of 100 officers, and some 10 to 15 teams comprising of 25 officers will be mobilised to cover the entire country, he underscored.
For his part, Dr Ori shared that a master plan for vector control (dengue fever) in hotspot areas with more than 25 cases is in the pipeline.
Besides Les Salines, mass fogging and larviciding were also conducted at other hotspot regions, namely Cassis, Résidence Vallijee and Bain des Dames today. It is recalled that as at date, some 7 009 fogging, 5 258 larviciding and 356 mist blowing activities have been undertaken.
