Vol. 4, Issue 4, Part B (2017)

Methodology: 130 households were selected by systematic random sampling. Respondents were interviewed and the premises were inspected for mosquito breeding with a pilot tested questionnaire. Numerators for aedes larval indices were calculated by multiplying a correction factor of 0.88 to number of houses and number of containers with any mosquito larvae. Appropriate statistical methods were applied to explore factors associated with mosquito breeding and to eliminate confounding.

Results: Among the 130 respondents, 19% were elderly and 70% were females and 70% were poor. Proportion of respondents with correct knowledge was as followed – dengue as a mosquito borne disease(65%), clean artificial water collection as source of mosquito breeding(25%), weekly frequency of source reduction(31%), identification of aedes mosquito(51%) and day biting habit of aedes (16%). House index, container index, Breteau index were 19.2%, 10.9% and 53.4 respectively. The households with elderly respondents were at higher risk (a-OR=3.75, 95% CI: 1.44 – 9.79, p<0.05) for peridomestic mosquito breeding whereas other socio demographic, knowledge and attitude factors had no association.

Conclusion: The larval indices suggested high risk of dengue transmission and there were crucial knowledge gaps. The houses with only elderly during working hours should be given special attention during source reduction activities.