A first of its kind IT tool developed by the Indian scientists that can help predict and curb surge in mosquito breeding at any particular area is gathering dust, ironically at a time when the country is reeling under the mounting cases of vector-borne diseases.
Its implementation would have helped the States take timely steps for fogging to eliminate the mosquitoes before the transmission of
parasites.
So far, 14,656 cases of chikungunya have been reported from across the States with Karnataka topping the list with with 9,427 cases followed by Delhi. The national Capital had 1,724 reported cases till September 11, the last day to which data is available with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The cases are expected to rise further with officials stating that transmission will continue till mid-October given the climatic conditions and other conducive factors for the breeding of the mosquito.
However, Dr USN Murthy, Head, Biology Division, and Coordinator, ENVIS, IICT under the CSIR who has developed the model tool said that better preventive steps could have been taken on time to check the transmission.
Talking to reporters here on Friday, he said the model has been validated essentially to predict the mosquito population based on climatic conditions of a particular area.
"The prediction model is based on the quality of the input data," said Dr Murthy.
He said that with such models and maps, we can forecast when, what and where someone has to take precautionary measures to control the mosquito breeding at that particular region. This can help authorities to prioritise steps to keep a tab on mosquito breeding.
The scientist said currently the model has been implemented in a few districts in Gujarat and North-eastern States including Arunanchal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram and Manipur.
Based on a Self-Organising Map (SOM) of the mosquitoes, the results depend on the quality of inputs provided by the authorities.
The data inputs needed for the mosquito-model includes factors like temperature, humidity and even rainfall of that particular region. Even the human population of the region is required for better results from the mosquito-model, Dr Murthy added.
CSIR DG Girish Sahini said that it was up to the States to provide data. But due to gaps in the system among other constraints, the technology has failed to catch the attention of the States.