Study on the Correlation of Premises Condition Index and the Presence of Larvae of Aedes Species Mosquitoes in Human Dwellings of the Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu, India

CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that this study helps in conducting rapid survey to identify the presence of Aedes larvae with a minimum number of staff for both inspection and treatment of Aedes larvae during the epidemic situation. OBJECTIVES: To predict dwellings for the presence of Aedes larvae rapidly based on Premises Condition Index (PCI) factors, we studied the possible presence of Aedes species mosquitoes larvae among houses in the Chidambaram urban of Cuddalore District in Tamil Nadu, India based on the scores of variables in PCI, namely House, Yard and degree of shadow. Data of these variables were collected in September and October 2006 from 1813 houses in the Chidambaram urban area during the intensive vector control activities employed for the prevention and control of Chikungunya. METHODS: The association between presence of larvae and the variables of PCI was tested by Chi-square and Correlation. The predictability of the presence of Aedes larvae based on PCI factors was computed by logistic regression. RESULTS: The study shows 301 containers in 132 houses were found positive with Aedes species out of 1813 houses surveyed. It was further observed that the probability of presence of positive premises was four times higher in the premises with 75% shadow compared with premises with a 25% shadow. These findings showed a significant association (p < 0.001) with positive premises.