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What can India do about dengue fever?

BMJ 2013; 346 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f643 (Published 04 February 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:f643

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Re: What can India do about dengue fever?

It is very true that dengue vectors breed in pots, uncovered buckets and improperly discarded tyres and toilet tanks, but in addition breeding has also been found in cut bamboo and even plant axils. Dengue vectors are basically tree hole breeders and nowadays their breeding has been found associated with various developments including constructional activities. Dr Neeru has mentioned that these cannot breed in discarded plastic bags but in our recent study we have found breeding in discarded plastic and polythene bags in the Guwahati area. These plastics are often filled with rain water and serve as a breeding source for the dengue vector. In addition they also breed in the slits of GI sheets used to cover houses.

Competing interests: No competing interests

09 December 2013
Sunil Dhiman
Scientist 'C'
Defence R&D
Defence Research Laboratory