Anwar Ali, Rajshahi

The regional health directorate in Rajshahi has found breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes, which are carriers of the virus responsible for dengue fever, at several areas in the city.

In an entomological survey report submitted yesterday, the directorate said it found Aedes mosquitoes breeding at the residence of the medical college principal, a hostel of female medical students and on RMCH campus.

They also found existence of the mosquitoes on rainwater collected in abandoned containers at different houses, shops and even on the city corporation’s town beatification equipment.

The report’s findings came after the five-day survey was conducted in five areas of the city, Dr Gopendra Nath Acharya, regional health director, told The Daily Star.

The areas are -- RMCH, Sepoypara near RMCH, Seroil bus terminal, Rajshahi Police Lines at Keshabpur, and Uposhohor area.

On August 1, the health directorate formed a three-member team, headed by the district entomologist Tayazul Islam, for conducting the survey. Other team members were entomology technicians Abdul Bari and Umme Habiba.

“Our aim was to gather information on the spread, density and breeding of Aedes mosquitoes in the city, and take necessary actions in this regard,” Dr Gopendra said.

The team conducted the survey between August 2 and 6, Tayazul said.

“Our survey is based on visual examinations of the sites and laboratory tests of the collected samples,” he added.

The team collected and examined samples of mosquito larvae from numerous spots of the five selected areas. They found existence of Aedes mosquitoes and larvae in many of the total 100 examined spots.

At RMC and RMCH areas, the team found Aedes larvae at seven spots, including RMC principal’s residence.

Besides, the tests came out positive at five spots inside RMCH, including one at a broken basin of a ward and at an abandoned ice-cream cup at Falguni Hostel, a dormitory for female medical students.

Most of the beautification pipes that were used to decorate road islands between Seroil bus stand and Bhadra intersection were also found to have carried the mosquito larvae.

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