Software to monitor mosquito density

Tamil Nadu Public Health Department in association with National Informatics Centre has developed a software that would help monitor the density and virulence of mosquitoes at a given area.

The software would provide instant access to information regarding the insects and would be a "strategic move" in containing vector-borne diseases, especially chikun gunya, department officials said.

The state-wide statistics would help officials monitor effectively and take preventive measures once the density of mosquitoes crossed the critical level in any area. The district-level officials would post the data on the department website and the online facility would be open from July 12.

The website would be updated on a regular basis. The officials hitherto used to exchange information regarding the presence of mosquitoes by post. A system to forecast incidence of Japanese Encephalitis also is being prepared.