Puducherry had reported regular dengue outbreaks since 2003 with many-fold increase in number of cases every year. This study was done to assess the intensity of dengue vector breeding and diversity of breeding habitats. Aedes surveys were conducted in 8 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) representing both rural and urban areas of Puducherry district throughout the year 2012. Containers inside and outside randomly (simple) selected houses and vacant sites around houses were examined for presence of Aedes mosquitoes. The containers containing water with immature larvae were designated as positive containers (PC), while the containers holding only water were designated as wet containers and all the larvae/pupae from the positive containers were collected and entomological indices were determined using standard WHO methods. The vectors, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus were encountered in the survey, with Ae. aegypti present in high numbers in urban as well as rural areas. The plastic containers were found as the most productive indoor breeding habitat as the 27.2% of the total pupae collected was contributed by plastic containers followed by flower vase (22.8%) and grinding stone (17.6%). Larval indices were found to vary throughout the year and highest indices were recorded during the months of October and November indicating the potential risk of dengue fever during this period.

In the rural district of Hokkaido, which holds 70% of the whole area of Hokkaido, those villages where the death-rate of sucklings is of the order of 40's (per 1, 000 births) come up to more than one third of all the villages, whereas in the cities it ranges between 20 and 39 A variety of factors may be accountable. With a view to contributing something to the clarification of the causation, I should like to introduce the existing conditions of a typical rural village located in the east of Hokkaido.
1. In comparison with cities, there are more premature babies born in the village, and furthermore about one half of the babies there are below the standard in weight and height.
2. Beginning and completion of the process of ablactation are delayed;diet is of ten low in protein and fat. There are many cases of rachitis ascribed to malnutrition; and a considerable number of babies suffer from anemia or eczema
3. Luxatio coxae congenita is found in 17% of the babies and it is often accompanied with rachitis;and there are many artificially fed babies.
4. On the other hand, the sleeping hours of nursing mothers are insufficient. There Were many hypertensive cases among them, and 37% of them showed decrease in serum protein.
5. Toxicosis is observed in 62% of pregnant women.
6. Cases of artificial abortion are numbered lately 1.3-1.5 times as many as the number of births.
7.38% of families are still using “izuko (a small cradle made of straw traditionally used in the northern parts of Japan, which is found to be detrimental to the baby's growth)”.
The factors enumerated above would all in all be accountable for the aggravating conditions of sucklings: the poor health conditions of pregnant mothers play such injurious effects on their potential babies that they give birth to premature babies, and the dissatisfactory environment following the birth contributes to the appearance of undernourished sucklings-a vicious cycle which terminates in deaths. In order to rectify the present situation the following plans would be effective. First of all, births should be controlled so as to take place at intervals of 3 or 4 years, preferrably from spring to summer; women in pregnancy and in nursing period should take diet especially rich in protein and vitamins; sucklings should be placed under careful health control including timely ablactation and prevention against rachitis; besides, the authorities concerned and the health centers are required to collaborate more positively in the health campaign.If all such efforts are made, mothers and sucklings in rural areas may no doubt attain the health standards held in the cities.