Context:
Recently, various government and non-governmental organisations in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Punjab have released Gambusia fish into local water bodies to address a mosquito menace.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
Dimensions of the Article:
- Gambusia Fish: A Mosquito-Control Warrior
- About Malaria
Gambusia Fish: A Mosquito-Control Warrior
- Introduction: Gambusia fish, commonly known as mosquitofish, is recognized for its role in biological mosquito control.
- Native Habitat: Native to the waters of the south-eastern United States.
- Mosquito Control: Employed as a biological agent to control mosquito larvae, playing a crucial role in mosquito-control strategies globally.
- Feeding Behavior: A single full-grown fish is known to consume about 100 to 300 mosquito larvae per day.
- Historical Usage in India: Integrated into malaria control strategies in India since 1928, notably in the Urban Malaria Scheme.
- Conservation Status: Listed as one of the 100 worst invasive alien species globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- Significance: Remains an integral part of efforts to combat mosquito-borne diseases and plays a vital role in enhancing public health.
About Malaria
- The Malaria is a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality.
- Despite huge progress in tackling the disease, there are still 212 million new cases of malaria and 430,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide each year according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- The Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
- The parasite can be spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
- There are many different types of plasmodium parasite, but only 5 types cause malaria in humans.
- The Children under the age of 5 and pregnant women are most susceptible to the disease.
- The severity of malaria varies based on the species of plasmodium.
- The Symptoms are chills, fever and sweating, usually occurring a few weeks after being bitten.
-Source: The Hindu
