Prevalence of Aedes mosquitoes in various localities of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra state, India

Abstract

Entomological investigations were carried out in various localities of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra state, India, during November 2014 with a view to study the prevalence of Aedes species and to identify high risk areas in the town prone to dengue/ DHF outbreak. A total of 267 houses and commercial premises were randomly searched for Aedes breeding. Of the total houses surveyed, Aedes breeding could be detected in domestic containers, water storage tanks in 116 houses. In all, a total of 2391 water containers were searched, out of which 392 were found positive for Aedes breeding. The overall house index (HI), container index (CI), breteau index (BI), and pupal index (PI) were 43.3, 16.4, 146.8 and 82.0 respectively. Aedes aegypti was the predominant species in domestic containers, while Aedes albopictus larvae were also observed in outdoor and peri domestic habitats. Ae. aegypti breeding was detected in all the localities, where dengue cases were recorded during the past 3 years. Ae. aegypti population was most prevalent in Gokul Nagar, Hanuman Vatika, Indira Nagar, Ram Nagar, Sneh Nagar localities - irrespective to the number of dengue cases.