Sting on the ground at Mumbai airport

Pune: The airport is an unlikely place to contract malaria or dengue, but that is exactly where the bearers of these diseases are breeding. A recent report found Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has a high presence of Aedes Aegypti larvae, the vector that transmits diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria.
While there were hardly any disease-causing mosquitoes at Pune and Goa airports, the two seaports in Goa were found to be potential pockets of infection. The survey was carried out by the Pune regional office of the Union Health ministry in November last year and the report was released this month.
"We have directed the concerned airport/seaport authorities to initiate measures to curb the mosquito menace. We will review the situation within the next three months," S B Nadoni, senior regional director, Union ministry of health and family welfare, told TOI on Friday.
Post-monsoon Aedes larval surveys were carried out to record breeding in and around 400 meters of airports/seaports in Mumbai, Goa and Pune to assess the disease threat and suggest preventive measures. The parameter of container index - the percentage of containers where larvae are found - was used to detect the presence of disease causing mosquitoes.
26/03/11 Umesh Isalkar/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Mar 2011