CHAPTER X 



REPORTING PROGRESS 



WHILE mosquito reduction is in progress it is inter- 

 esting to watch the fever reduction. Unfortunately, 

 there is no exact method known by which the number 

 of mosquitos in a locality can be counted. Many 

 attempts have been made to estimate the numbers 

 of mosquitos in a town ; all are unsatisfactory. The 

 total number of stagnant water collections and the 

 percentage of those infected with mosquito larvae 

 estimated before and after the mosquito campaign is 

 started has often been employed as a method of 

 reporting the results of a campaign ; but the method 

 is not exact. For example, when the first estimate 

 is made, a house may be declared to contain no 

 suitable water collections and to be free from mos- 

 quito larvae. Then while the work is in progress a 

 native servant may leave a bucket of dirty water 

 hidden in a corner of the kitchen, and the house will 

 become full of mosquitos (thousands of mosquitos 

 may be produced from a single saucer of water in 

 three weeks). This will vitiate the results at once. 

 There is no accurate means of counting the num- 

 ber of mosquitos in a house, or even in a room. 



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