Domalapai Dandayatra: Mosquitoes winning battle

VIJAYAWADA: The state government's programme to end mosquito menace “Domalapai Dandayatra” (War on Mosquitoes) has failed to give results. Even after three months of its efforts,  mosquitoes are everywhere in the state and biting the people as usual. The government had started the aggressive campaign after an outbreak of vector-borne diseases in the state. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself participated in the campaigns and said the government will do whatever it takes to end the menace. He even said drones will be used to identify the mosquito-breeding places and kill them “even before they are born.”

The campaign has continued till December 30 and the government has spent nearly Rs. 7.5crore for the ‘war on mosquitoes’. The government even proposed to bring in a law to overcome the problem, on the lines of Bruhanmumbai Municipal Corporation Act. Despite the government’s efforts, mosquitoes rule the roost. Despite the money and time spent, there is no improvement in the scenario. In fact, the scenario has only worsened. People are facing the problem now like never before in major cities. In the capital region cities of Vijaywada and Guntur, mosquitoes are up and biting one and all everywhere after 6 in the evening.

However, officials claim the ‘war on mosquitoes’ was largely successful and they were able to control the vector-borne diseases across the state. District medical officer of Krishna, R Adinarayana, said the mosquitoes which transmit the diseases were contained. Those present now are mostly nuisance mosquitoes that only bite, he claimed. He also claimed that the number of the cases has come down by up to 60 per cent since ‘Dandayatra’. Joint director in municipal administration department P Poornachnadra Rao, who coordinated the ‘war on mosquitoes’ drive across the state, said the campaign was a success.

Bite punches holes in pockets also:

People across cities and towns are not only facing problems with mosquito menace but also paying a hefty price. The diseases that come with the mosquito bites are on the rise this year. All the coastal districts have been hit badly by the mosquito menace; and vector borne diseases, including dengue and malaria, were on the rise in the past year.

In Krishna district alone, 704 official malaria cases were reported till 25 December out of which 580 were from Vijayawada city alone.Another 103 cases were reported from Velagaluru. As many as 23,099 cases were reported across the state.

Vijayawada also is listed on top in dengue cases with 116 official cases out of a total of 399 in Krishna district. As many as 3,936 dengue cases were reported across the state in 2016. Also, 68, 271 fever cases with unknown origin have been reported other than typhoid, diarrhoea and respiratory infections in Krishna district. Across the state, this figure stands at 55, 25,224.

These are only official figures, and of those who have got treatment at government hospitals. There is no specific data available about the patients who went to private hospitals for treatment.

Many patients in urban areas have approached private hospitals for treatment and there is no data available of those patients with the government, said PCC doctor’s cell vice chairman, Ambati Naga Radhakrishna. These private hospitals were charging heavily and people were forced to pay between Rs. 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, he said.

Radhakrishna said that the war on mosquitoes was hog wash and the government washed its hands of the matter, in the guise of holding meetings and making big claims. It was a complete failure and the mosquitoes have won the war, he said.

• People spent Rs. 1lakh to 3 lakh in private hospitals.
• According to government statistics, only 2 deaths have been reported in the state because of dengue till 25 October.
• Government hiding the figures of dengue: Ambati Radhakrishna