Health Department Issues Guidelines to Prevent Mosquito-Borne Diseases

PRESS RELEASE Every year during the monsoon season, there is a likelihood of increase in mosquito-borne diseases. To prevent this, the Directorate of Public Health has issued guidelines for identifying mosquito breeding sites and preventing the spread of disease. The press note issued by the Directorate of Public Health in this regard states as follows: For monsoon preparedness works and disease prevention measures, based on High Court directions, the Director of Public Health has issued a circular to all District Health Officers. The circular directs that, for every complaint received regarding mosquito breeding, an immediate field inspection should be conducted, and integrated mosquito eradication measures should be taken by deploying anti-mosquito workers at such locations to control mosquito breeding. It further states that integrated mosquito eradication measures - including removal of mosquito larvae breeding sites, spraying of larvicides, and fogging to control adult mosquitoes - should be undertaken without delay, and that appropriate action must be taken within 48 hours of every complaint received. It is also stated that awareness campaigns should be carried out among the public through pamphlets, posters, notice boards and awareness announcements, and that notices should be displayed and the public encouraged to participate in mosquito-control measures at places where people gather, such as markets, temples, bus stands, commercial complexes and cinema halls. With the onset of the forthcoming monsoon, there is a high likelihood of increased spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and Japanese encephalitis. A meeting on precautionary preventive measures for this was held for District Health Officers on 14.05.2026. At this meeting, district officers were emphatically told that mosquito-borne monsoon diseases could be prevented from spreading only by identifying breeding sites of adult mosquitoes and eliminating them completely within two weeks. Issued By: Director, DIPR, Chennai-9