Seasonal prevalence of dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti Linn in Jaipur city, Rajasthan, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Vector-borne diseases are a significant issue for public health worldwide, especially in India. In recent years, high number of dengue and chikungunya cases have been reported from Rajasthan state of India, those are principally transmitted by Aedes aegypti. These vectors are extremely intrusive and can thrive in practically any climate. However, vector mosquitos' prevalence in Jaipur district is not properly documented. Therefore, current research was carried out to ascertain the seasonal fluctuations of Aedes aegypti in Jaipur city, Rajasthan, India.

METHODS: In order to ascertain the seasonal variation, monitoring of Aedes mosquitoes was conducted from August 2021 to July 2022 at nine selected regions in the Jaipur city. The breeding capacity of vectors was evaluated using three vector indices: the House Index, Breteau Index, and Container Index.

RESULTS: A total of 2172 out of 6336 breeding sites and 3735 out of 7477 containers were found positive for Aedes species. Three important species of Aedes vectors were collected in which Aedes aegypti was reported as the most prevalent. The highest values for House Index (57.60%) and Container Index (54.95%) were observed in October and the least rate was observed in March.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: This survey was carried out to investigate the seasonal prevalence of dengue vectors and the findings revealed seasonal fluctuations in the indices of Aedes reproducing potential. This calls for precautionary actions to avoid infection rates and epidemic emergence. Therefore, to stop epidemics and eradicate vector-borne infections, the current study recommends close monitoring and further vector management efforts.