BENGALURU, 26 AUG

The Health Department has setup 120 OV trap devices in Binnypet and Gandhinagar constituency to combat the spread of infectious diseases like dengue and malaria in the City. 

Speaking to reporters, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said, “The bio traps can control up to 60 per cent of the mosquito population in the targeted areas and currently we are planning to start it in two wards. Currently we will study the results and two wards and then install OV traps across the State.” 

He said that the OV trap device is not only effective in controlling Aedes mosquitoes but also in reducing the incidence of infectious diseases such as dengue, malaria, and Zika he said, “ The initiative is similar to an experiment conducted in Mumbai's Dharavi slum area, which showed promising results.” 

These OV traps, designed to mimic mosquito breeding grounds, contain the chemical pyriproxyfen, which acts as an insect growth regulator, preventing the emergence of adult mosquitoes.

BBMP Commissioner Tushar Girinath said, “After 4 weeks these 120 OV traps are replaced with new ones. Health workers visit every week to check each OV traps for eggs, larvae and pupae and prepare a report.” 

This method has proven effective in other regions, including Mumbai's Dharavi and IAF Station Jalahalli in Bengaluru, which led to the significant reductions in dengue cases.  The initiative also involves collaboration with Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) and MS Ramaiah Medical College to study the scientific approach to mosquito control. 

According to the data given by the BBMP the City has now crossed 10,796 positive dengue cases on Friday and the State has 23,733 positive cases. Salar News