VISAKHAPATNAM: With the onset of southwest monsoon, the district health officials are preparing an action plan to identify the areas in the rural and urban areas where seasonal diseases break out.
Besides conducting regular meetings, the health officials have asked the additional field workers to take measures to control the spread of vector-borne diseases.
“Diseases spread during the season are diarrhoea and typhoid. As a preliminary measure we have alerted the line departments to fluorinate water sources. Also spraying is being done in agency areas where we have identified people prone to malaria,” said L Kalyan Prasad, the nodal officer of Swine Flu. Though spraying is done twice a year, this time the staff were asked the complete spraying before the start of peak monsoon.
Once the rain stops, there is stagnation of water and mosquito breeding places increase. The health officials are on the job of identifying areas to take precautionary measures.
“Gambusia fish, predators of mosquito larvae, will be released into wells, ponds and small lakes at places of water stagnation identified last year, new areas, if any. During a meeting, the fisheries department was also asked to make available the fish,” he added. In urban areas, the staff of line departments were asked to plug leakage of pipelines and maintain sanitation.
Awareness rallies and distribution of pamphlets are being organised and pamphlets being distributed among the residents on how to control the spread of diseases by clearing waste materials, old paint tins, water left in money plants and stagnant water areas in the surroundings.
Plan of action
Additional field workers to take measures to control
vector-borne diseases
Water sources to be fluorinated
Spraying operations to be carried out in Agency
Natural predators to be released in water bodies to check mosquito larvae
Leakages in water
pipelines to be plugged sanitation
Awareness programmes to be undertaken