NEW DELHI: With the onset of monsoon and subsequent apprehension over the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, and chikungunya, the education department has issued directions to all schools in the national capital to allow children to wear full sleeve uniforms to schools, and also hand out dengue homework card to every pupil.
In a circular dated July 11, the education department issued an advisory for school administrations and the students to adhere to to prevent vector-borne illnesses. Schoolchildren will be given a form to fill. It will include questions on preventive measures to be adopted during the monsoon season.
Schools have been asked to put wire mesh on windows to prevent entry of mosquitoes; cover all water tanks and containers with well-fitted lids to prevent breeding of mosquitoes; all coolers should be scrubbed and cleaned once a week; all unused containers, junk materials, tyres, coconut shells should be disposed off; water in flower vases, pots should be changed; in coolers, that cannot be emptied, a tablespoon of petrol/diesel should be added, and cases of missing/broken lids may be taken up with PWD on priority.
A nodal officer will be appointed in each school who will be responsible for all the activities related to prevention and control of vector-borne diseases and monitor the activities being carried out.
Additionally, regular checking of school buildings will be done in a systematic manner during which coolers, flower pots, bird pots, water containers, any scrap, stagnant water and other possible breeding sites will also be checked thoroughly for ensuring no possibility of mosquito breeding.
Rise in dengue cases due to increased testing: MCD
Meanwhile, the municipal corporation has attributed the significant rise in dengue cases in the city this year to an increase in the number of testing centres, which has grown from 36 to 900 compared to last year, according to an official report.
As of July 6, Delhi recorded over 256 dengue cases, which is nearly double of the 136 cases recorded in the corresponding period in 2023 and the highest since 2020, according to the report’s data.
The highest number of dengue cases were recorded in the Najafgarh Zone, the report said. No deaths due to the vector-borne disease have been reported so far this year.
“The rise in the number of cases this year is because more testing centres have started collecting samples and reporting the dengue cases to the civic body. Until last year, there were about 36 testing centres. Now, this number has increased to 900 because of which the numbers appear to be inflated,” a senior civic body official said.
The peak season for dengue is yet to arrive in Delhi and the situation will call for urgent attention when the monsoon advances, providing a suitable atmosphere for mosquito breeding, the official said, adding, the MCD is taking various steps to curb breeding at the source.
The report also said that 90 cases of malaria and 22 case of chikungunya were logged.