MCC corporators discuss malaria control at council meeting

MCC corporators discuss malaria control at council meeting

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, August 27, 2012: The Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) had a council meeting in its Council Hall on August 27, Monday to discuss the spread of vector-borne diseases in the city.

Dakshina Kannada has, so far, recorded 136 cases of dengue and one case of death by dengue. The district has also recorded 46 cases of rat fever and two cases of death by rat fever. Of the total number of 7000 cases of malaria recorded, 5,750 cases have been recorded within MCC limits alone.

 

 

 

 

The discussion regarding malaria and other contagious diseases was quite heated, with Congress members alleging that the health department has totally failed in controlling diseases such as dengue, malaria, and rat fever. Shashidhar Hegde, former mayor of Mangalore, said that the health department used to launch an anti-mosquito spray drive to prevent malaria in the past, but hardly does it now.

Corporator Naveen D’Souza complained that, although garbage collectors in Bendore are shirking their work, the meter is on and the people get monthly bills. Continuing the discussion on garbage further, Corporator Jayanthi Shetty said that MCC’s garbage disposal system is a total failure in all its wards, adding that contagious diseases are on the rise because of lack of hygiene and the rise in number of mosquitoes. She said that the civic body must do everything possible to control mosquito breeding and bring vector-borne diseases under control.

Ashraf, former mayor, said that the civic body ought to be ashamed of constructing air-conditioned conference halls for itself while the people of Mangalore do not have basic facilities such as good roads, drinking water, drainage system, and others.

Responding to these complaints, Commissioner Harish Kumar said that the civic body has taken all the measures possible to control contagious diseases, adding that it has appointed a team of 72, which has visited all the houses and made notes on those suffering from these diseases.

Mayor Gulzar Banu felicitated all engineers, contractors, and others involved in the renovation of the MCC conference hall.