The Gujarat Government has drawn up a plan to fight dengue and chikunguniya using satellite technology. The plan, made after consulting experts from India and abroad, involves combining satellite imagery with weather data such as rainfall, temperature and humidity — to identify places that provide ideal conditions for outbreak of these diseases, and then take preventive action accordingly.
The state has suggested to the Centre that the project could be adopted for implementation at the national level. And, if this was not possible, Gujarat may be given financial assistance and the necessary clearance for implementing it within the state.
If this happens, the state administration and health department will no longer break into a panic at the onset of monsoon, fearing malaria, chikungunya, and dengue.
Talking to the Express Newsline, Gujarat Health Minister Health Ashok Bhatt pointed out that the department was mooting the idea of setting up a vector-borne disease forecasting centre, which would carry out mapping of water-bodies in the state through satellite images, and identify the potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
“We are roping in Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG) for the satellite images work and plan to with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in this regard,” Bhatt said. He further added, “As the longevity of mosquitoes depends on factors such as humidity, rainfall and temperature, the project envisages mapping all these factors through satellite imagery and then, analysing the results.”
Bhatt said he is sending a concept note in this regard to the Union Government within a fortnight.
“The idea evolved following a month-old workshop conducted by Dr M J Bouma, consultant at University of Michigan, USA, Prof Andrew P Dobson, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, USA and Mercedes M Pascal, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Michigan University along with the state officers from the department of Malaria Control,” Bhatt said.
He further pointed out that apart from synthetic pesticides to kill vectors, efficacy of neem oil is also being explored in this direction. “We are also exploring the possibilities of evolving preventive measures for such diseases in Ayurvedic Universities,” he added. In fact, the idea took birth after Dr Bouma’s first visit to the state in 2000.
Meanwhile, official sources in the State Commissionerate of Health and National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme told Newsline that already a feasibility study of mapping the waterbodies in the state has been undertaken by the department. “The study will initially be conducted for two years, and based on two years’ observations, we shall be able to precisely forecast the vector-borne disease in the third year,” the source said.
“While measures can be directly implemented by the state government for the open water bodies, most of which serve as breeding grounds for Anopheles mosquitoes, community participation is needed for fighting the menace of Aedes mosquito, which breed in clear water within houses,” Bhatt said. To combat this threat, the department is preparing a Container Index (CI), House Index (HI) and Bratou Index (BI) to identify areas needing intervention.
“For preparing such indices, our workers are carrying out door to door surveys and checking out containers in houses,” said a seniorhealth official.
Courtesy : Expressindia.com
The state has suggested to the Centre that the project could be adopted for implementation at the national level. And, if this was not possible, Gujarat may be given financial assistance and the necessary clearance for implementing it within the state.
If this happens, the state administration and health department will no longer break into a panic at the onset of monsoon, fearing malaria, chikungunya, and dengue.
Talking to the Express Newsline, Gujarat Health Minister Health Ashok Bhatt pointed out that the department was mooting the idea of setting up a vector-borne disease forecasting centre, which would carry out mapping of water-bodies in the state through satellite images, and identify the potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
“We are roping in Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG) for the satellite images work and plan to with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in this regard,” Bhatt said. He further added, “As the longevity of mosquitoes depends on factors such as humidity, rainfall and temperature, the project envisages mapping all these factors through satellite imagery and then, analysing the results.”
Bhatt said he is sending a concept note in this regard to the Union Government within a fortnight.
“The idea evolved following a month-old workshop conducted by Dr M J Bouma, consultant at University of Michigan, USA, Prof Andrew P Dobson, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, USA and Mercedes M Pascal, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Michigan University along with the state officers from the department of Malaria Control,” Bhatt said.
He further pointed out that apart from synthetic pesticides to kill vectors, efficacy of neem oil is also being explored in this direction. “We are also exploring the possibilities of evolving preventive measures for such diseases in Ayurvedic Universities,” he added. In fact, the idea took birth after Dr Bouma’s first visit to the state in 2000.
Meanwhile, official sources in the State Commissionerate of Health and National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme told Newsline that already a feasibility study of mapping the waterbodies in the state has been undertaken by the department. “The study will initially be conducted for two years, and based on two years’ observations, we shall be able to precisely forecast the vector-borne disease in the third year,” the source said.
“While measures can be directly implemented by the state government for the open water bodies, most of which serve as breeding grounds for Anopheles mosquitoes, community participation is needed for fighting the menace of Aedes mosquito, which breed in clear water within houses,” Bhatt said. To combat this threat, the department is preparing a Container Index (CI), House Index (HI) and Bratou Index (BI) to identify areas needing intervention.
“For preparing such indices, our workers are carrying out door to door surveys and checking out containers in houses,” said a seniorhealth official.
Courtesy : Expressindia.com