Uttar Pradesh: 25,000 ‘mosquito-killer’ fish released into Firozabad ponds to check dengue

AGRA: The administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad on Monday released 25,000 Gambusia fish, which feed on mosquito larvae, into ponds and other waterbodies across the district to check the spread of dengue, which claimed another five lives in the last 24 hours. So far, 84 people, of them 58 children, have died due to the suspected dengue in the last three weeks.
Chief medical officer (CMO) Dinesh Kumar Premi said, “We have acquired 50 water packets, containing 25,000 Gambusia fish from Badaun district.These fish were released into ponds and places with stagnant water to stop breeding of mosquitoes.”
“Mosquitoes generally have a lifecycle of 20-25 days. And they stay in stagnant water for 8-9 days. Gambusia fish eat the larvae of mosquitoes in water itself. Besides dengue, this measure will also help us contain malaria,” the CMO added.
The step was taken after a team of the National Centre for Disease Control confirmed the dengue outbreak in the district.
Gambusia has a voracious appetite. An adult fish can eat up to 150 mosquito larvae in eight hours. Not just UP, states and UT’s like Punjab and Delhi have used the fish to check the spread of dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
Meanwhile, on Monday, there was no let off in the number of people thronging health centres across the district.
Firozabad Medical College, the largest health centre in the district, was overrun by patients. Over 400 people suffering from high fever, severe dehydration and low platelets counts were getting treatment there. Of these, about 300 were children, health department officials confirmed.
The health department has set up 65 camps across the district. “Over 4,500 people, including those with fever, are undergoing treatment there,” the CMO said. Sources told TOI that at least 5,000 people in the district are bedridden with fever at home or in private hospitals.
To put a tab on the spread of dengue, municipal corporation officials in Firozabad district are conducting door-to-door surveys to drain out stagnant water from coolers, pots and other utensils. Anti-larval spraying is also being conducted in the affected areas.
Firozabad MLA Manish Asija said, “People would not have died had the municipal corporation taken care of its responsibilities. Local authorities came into action only after chief minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the situation and visited the district last week.”
According to the health department officials, so far 200 cases of dengue have been confirmed in the district.
On Monday, the chief minister held a meeting with senior officials in Lucknow and directed that teams of specialists from Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and King George’s Medical University be sent to Firozabad, Agra and Mathura.
The teams will guide local doctors and will also oversee the treatment of patients.