title: Household disposables as breeding habitats of dengue vectors: linking wastes and public health.
abstract: An assessment of the household wastes as larval habitats of the dengue vectors was made considering Kolkata, India, as geographical area. Wastes of four major categories, namely, earthen, porcelain, plastic and coconut shells were monitored for positive with immature of either Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. Twenty six types of wastes with varying size and shape, resembling containers, were identified that hosted mosquito immature. The number of waste containers positive for Aedes immature varied significantly (P<0.05) with respect to location, type and month. The relative density of Aedes immature in the waste containers varied significantly (P<0.05) with the types and months. The significant interaction between the month, waste container types and density of Aedes immature suggest that the household wastes are important contributors to the maintenance of the population of Aedes mosquito in the city. Based on the relative density of mosquito immature in the wastes, cluster analysis allowed segregation and classification of the wastes and their importance as mosquito larval habitats. Apparently, the containers that are most frequently disposed off contributed largely to the sustenance of Aedes mosquito population in the city. This calls for a strict legislation towards disposal as well as enhanced management of the household wastes. A link between the wastes disposed and subsequent conversion to the mosquito larval habitats cautions for continuance of Aedes population and possibility of dengue epidemics if the existing management practices are not improved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700 019, India. soumyajitb@gmail.com
authors.forename: Soumyajit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Gautam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aditya
authors.forename: Goutam K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Saha
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes; D000818:Animals; D002947:Cities; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003715:Dengue / Q000635:transmission; D017753:Ecosystem; D006795:Household Products; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D007814:Larva; D011156:Population Density; D012098:Reproduction; D014866:Waste Products
chemical_list: D014866:Waste Products