Tripura govt to distribute 9.5L mosquito nets to prevent malaria

Agartala: The Tripura govt has decided to distribute 9,50,000 specially designed mosquito nets across the state to prevent sudden spurts of malaria during the summer.
Normal life has been seriously affected in both rural and urban areas, including the capital city of Agartala, due to the increase in mosquitoes in hot and humid weather. To control the mosquito population, the National Health Mission started releasing gambusia fish into several drains in Agartala.This fish is known for its voracious appetite for mosquito larvae.
The officials said the initiative aims to curb the spread of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya by targeting the breeding grounds of mosquitoes. This apart, the urban local bodies have been asked to undertake massive cleaning drives of drains, outlets and public places to contain the breeding of mosquitoes.
Meanwhile, health secretary Kiran Gitte held a special meeting with the DMs of eight districts and asked them to quickly come to the ground as per the action plan of the govt to prevent malaria, evaluate the steps taken and formulate new programmes. The meeting discussed various important issues, including speedy completion of release of larvivorous fish in various reservoirs of the state, distribution of about 9.5 lakh specially designed mosquito nets, and spraying of larvicide.