An entomological study on the dengue vectors during outbreak of dengue in Tiruppur town and its surroundings, Tamil Nadu, India.

Tiruppur town and its surroundings of Tamil Nadu state had reported the rise in dengue cases and some deaths during July, 2005. A team from NICD branch, Coonoor investigated the outbreak of dengue during August, 2005. Due to acute scarcity of water, people in Tiruppur town and surrounding rural areas store water in cement tanks and other containers which facilitated the prolific breeding of the dengue vector mosquitoes. The Aedes aegypti adult and larval survey conducted in randomly selected areas and the larval breeding indices and adult mosquito density were found to be above the critical levels. The state health and municipal authorities had initiated the control measures in urban areas. However in rural areas, these measures needed to be sustained and surveillance for dengue cases to be strengthened for timely control and prevention of the future outbreaks of this disease.