‘Vacant lands a breeding ground for mosquitoes’

Mahalakshmi (8), a resident of Chengalpattu, had succumbed to dengue fever on November 12, at the Institute of Child Health. On November 15, a boy named Charu (9) from Manimangalam Village in Kancheepuram, died at the hospital due to a rare bacterium, acinetobacter. Talking to DTNext , Dr K Kolandaisamy, director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said that they have carried out cleaning operations, following the death of Mahalakshmi. He said, “Though there are no more cases of dengue as of now, vacant lands have been a cause of concern for us. There has been indiscriminate dumping on these vacant plots and they serve as the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.” According to the data available on the website of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, there have been 2,044 cases of dengue and four deaths till November 14.