Chennai: The Greater Chennai Corporation has confirmed 1,775 dengue cases in the city this year, as authorities intensified vector-control measures amid a rise in fever cases. Commissioner G.S. Sameeran announced on September 29 that drones are being used to spray larvicide in hard-to-reach areas.

More than 3,703 workers have been deployed for door-to-door inspections, fogging and source-reduction drives. Officials said over 8,300 fever cases have been recorded, of which about 70 per cent have recovered.

The corporation has asked residents to keep surroundings dry, cover water storage containers and report stagnant water to ward offices. Special focus is being given to construction sites, terraces and vacant plots where mosquitoes breed.

Health officials said the situation is being monitored daily and that hospitals have been asked to keep beds ready for dengue patients. The drone-based spraying is the first large-scale use of the technology for mosquito control in the city this season.