How to Eradicate Mosquito Borne Diseases ?

To prevent and eradicate the mosquito borne diseases, different type of measures have been undertaken.

Such measures are:

A. Prevention of infection: Personal protection against the attack of mosquito can be done by the following ways:

(a) Protection against mosquito bites must be done by covering the body with clothing’s after sunset.

(b) Doors, windows, ventilators etc. are to be covered with mosquito net like struc­tures.

(c) Use of mosquito-net during sleeping.

(d) Use of anti-mosquito cream like Odomos, Cytronella, etc. on exposed parts of the body.

B. Chemical control:

By applying different insecticides mosquitoes can be controlled.

This can be achieved by the following steps:

(a) Destruction of adult mosquito:

i. Sulphur, Pyrethrum like substances are burnt to produce poisonous fumes to control mosquito.

ii. DDT, BHC like insecticides are used for spraying in the dwelling places to kill the adult mosquitoes.

iii. By dusting with DDT powder adult mosquitoes can be controlled. The smell of DDT keeps the mosquitoes away.

(b) Destruction of larvae and pupae:

i. The surface of water in small ponds, ditches, drains etc. is covered by spraying kerosene oil, petroleum, paraffin oil etc. which kill the larvae because the larvae come to the sur­face of water for respiration.

ii. Certain larvicides like Panama larvicide (a mixture of water, kerosene oil, resin and phenol) Paris-green (made of arsenic), oil emulsion of DDT etc. are used to kill the larvae and pupae of mosquito in water.

C. Elimination of breeding grounds:

The most effective measure to control mosquitoes is to eliminate the breeding places from the loca­lity by dewatering or pumping out water. Because Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes lay eggs on stagnant rain water filled ditches, swamps, small ponds etc.

D. Biological control:

Fishes like Minose, Gambusia, Gold fish etc. are the natural ene­mies of mosquito and they feed upon the larvae and pupae of mosquito. Cultivation of those fishes in ponds, ditches etc. may be introduced and may act as effective biological control of mosquito.