The Hindu 19.02.2015
Mosquito threat persists, yet no entomologists
Two entomologists deputed to Corporation temporarily
Madurai Corporation seems to be sitting on a huge risk in the absence of a permanent entomology wing at a time when dengue fever is posing a severe challenge to public health authorities.
Even though the city’s population is over 15 lakh and the number of wards has gone up to 100, there is not a single entomologist on its rolls.
As a temporary measure, two entomologists have been deputed to the corporation to assist in scientific study of mosquito density at various locations and recommend mosquito control measures to prevent disease outbreak.
R. Varadharajan, an assistant lecturer in medical entomology at Madurai Medical College, who is on deputation to the corporation, said a separate entomological team was urgently needed to continuously monitor mosquito density. Stating that a permanent team would augur well for the city, he, however, claimed that mosquito control activity was in no way hampered as the health wing was managing well with available manpower and infrastructure.
Corporation sources told The Hindu on Wednesday that a proposal to get government sanction for the posts of entomologists was yet to be forwarded to Chennai.
“The file is still lying in our establishment section. We require one senior entomologist, four junior entomologists and 16 field assistants. When such a specialised wing is available in Chennai corporation, why not in Madurai,” a senior official said. Right now, the Madurai Corporation gets entomologists from other districts on deputation whenever there is a fever outbreak-like situation. An official confided that the rural areas were well equipped to fight mosquito-borne diseases than the corporation since the Directorate of Public Health had specialised manpower to tackle outbreaks in rural pockets.
S. Senthilkumar, Deputy Director of Health Services, said entomologists were crucial for any local body because they were technically equipped to analyse and prevent vector-borne diseases.
