Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam district continued to be under the grip of malaria and dengue fevers. Last week, from September 7 to 13, the district registered 86 dengue cases which amount to 73% cases of the total 118 cases in Andhra Pradesh.During the same time frame, 35 patients were diagnosed with malaria – which is equivalent to 63% cases of the total 56 cases in the state. The situation was no better earlier in the week from August 31 to September 6, with the district witnessing 83 dengue cases,which implies that the district contributed to 86% cases of the state.As per the official statistics, the areas falling into the limits of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is accounting for the majority of the cases of the district. The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in the GVMC limits as the city alone reported more than 940 dengue cases this year. In all, Visakhapatnam district has registered about 1,980 dengue cases from January against 411 cases during the same time last year. Total 1,945 malaria cases were confirmed in the district.Speaking to TOI, Visakhapatnam district malaria officer Y Mani said; “The sporadic rainfall during the south-west monsoon and the rainfall being limited to only a few parts of the district on these rainy days are suspected to be primary reasons for the increase in the number of cases this year. Moreover, as the malaria and dengue are now notifiable diseases, the reporting has also increased,” said Mani.The increased construction activity in the suburbs, growing population densities and the inadequate sanitation have been creating a fertile ground for the mosquito breeding. The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and other diseases, is a highly domesticated urban mosquito that prefers to live in the human habitat.The corporation’s fogging and anti-larval spraying operations are generally limited to the streets and drains. But the larvae are sequestered in resting places inside houses where the insecticides do not reach. The corporation’s household survey had also identified that the flowerpot plates, refrigerator drip pan, ornamental plants, water drums and domestic containers as the major culprits in harbouring the Aedes mosquitoes.

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