MOSQUITO DENSITY IN URBAN KERALA: A STUDY TO CALCULATE LARVAL INDICES IN MUNICIPAL AREA OF PERINTHALMANNA

• Author Details:   
• Jesha M M
• Sebastian N M
• Sheela P Haveri
• Mohamed Ishaac Shabeer
• Manu AY

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Introduction: Mosquito borne diseases are a major public health problem in Kerala. Mosquito density assessed by larval surveys are easier and quicker to perform. The larval indices are an important practical predictor of outbreaks of mosquito borne disease and are valuable in taking preventive measures.
Objectives: This study is done to calculate standardized larval indices namely House Index, Container Index and Breteau Index and to identify the major breeding sources of mosquitoes in the residential environment in the municipal town of Perinthalmanna, Kerala.
Methods: A cross-sectional study selecting 25 houses randomly from the 6 wards of Municipality under the field practice area of Urban Training Centre, MES Medical College Perinthalmanna. Every water holding container indoors and outdoors were counted and searched for larval presence and noted on a pretested format.
Results and Discussion: In this study, 167 houses were surveyed in 8 days. 97.6% (163 houses) were found to have potential sources for mosquito breeding. All the entomological indices were found to be above the critical level. House Index = 25.15%; Container Index = 10.36%; Breteau Index = 73.05% showing high chances for outbreaks of mosquito borne diseases.
Conclusions: The area is prone for mosquito borne disease outbreaks like dengue fever and therefore warrants interventions for prevention.

Key Words: Vector survey, breeding sites, containers, House Index, Container Index, Breteau Index.