The health department has initiated ‘Medam to Karkidakam,’ a campaign to prevent spread of diseases during the monsoon season, in the city.
The campaign is being run with the assistance of local bodies, Kudumbashree, ASHA workers, Residents Associations and NGOs.
Officials and volunteers will visit residential areas from May to July and will create awareness regarding measures to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. The team of volunteers will give reports to the respective local bodies about the waste disposal and other hygiene indices. Ward level health committees will be convened by the ward members to discuss the health and hygiene conditions in the ward level. Funds from Total Sanitation project, other national health programmes and local bodies will be used for this project.
According to Dr Haseena, District Medical Officer (DMO), there will be a special focus on cleaning the breeding grounds of mosquitoes. “We will also ensure people’s participation. Government has also decided to observe May 19 and May 26 as ‘dry days’. Ward Level health promotion committees and hygiene committees will actively take part in the observance of ‘dry days’. A systematic cleaning of surroundings is must to ensure the prevention of dengue,” she said.
The DMO said 608 patients had approached different hospitals for the treatment of fever. “Five cases of dengue have also been reported in the district,” she said.