THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The directorate of health services (DHS) will procure vehicle-mounted fogging machines to combat mosquito-borne diseases in the state.
The DHS has earmarked Rs 14 crore for eradicating communicable diseases this financial year. In 2018, from January to December, a total of 4,083 dengue cases, 32 dengue deaths and 856 malaria cases were reported in the state.
A top official of DHS said that this was the first time the state was procuring vehicle-mounted fogging machines. “During the recent floods we had used vehicle-mounted foggers and hence we decided to buy two of them for Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts,” said the official.
According to officials, the vehicle-mounted fogging machines are more expensive than the ordinary manually operated ones. “Each machine will cost around Rs 1.5 lakh. Some of the local bodies have vehicle-mounted foggers and this could come in handy during a major outbreak,” said the official.
According to authorities, due to the dry weather, mosquito density is under control in the state. “There is no threat of a major outbreak. Once the summer rains begin, we will intensify vector control measures. Currently, we have instructed to carry out vector surveillance every fortnight,” said the official.
Apart from vehicle-mounted foggers, the authorities are also procuring 28 sophisticated ultra-low volume fogging machines for effective vector surveillance in the state. Each fogging machine costs around Rs 70,000.
“Vehicle-mounted mach-ines cannot reach everywhere. Portable and handy foggers are more useful for indoor spraying,” the official added.
However, the World Health Organisation has come out strongly against fogging as it can pollute the atmosphere. Also, several studies have shown that fogging is ineffective.
