NEW DELHI: After achieving much success last year in restricting vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya in the national capital, the Delhi government is going to relaunch its “10 hafte 10 minute 10 din” campaign.
According to sources, this programme is scheduled to begin from September 1, and an announcement regarding the same is expected to be made soon by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Last year, the programme was lauded by experts and medical representatives in combating and controlling the diseases. It eyes to control cases as well as deaths owing to these diseases.
The government had claimed that no deaths from dengue, malaria or chikungunya were reported in the year 2019. The programme aims to encourage citizens to clean their own house and dispose of stored water which is the most suitable breeding ground for birth of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - the kind known for spreading dengue, malaria and chikungunya.
The idea is to practice this routine every Sunday for 10 weeks to combat the spread. With the beginning of the monsoon season, cases of vector-borne diseases are likely to go up.
Experts believe, that the onset of seasonal infections might pose a problem for medical professionals as there is a chance that these diseases could make it harder to identify COVID cases as most symptoms clash with each other.
In Delhi, the work of spraying disinfectants and visiting houses to check if there is any water stored is done by the domestic breeding checkers (DBC) who are employed by the municipal corporations.
While usually, the DBC workers begin their work in summer season, this year it was not possible as most were involved in conducting duties related to coronavirus prevention. This delay might affect areas like slums and JJ clusters.