DHENKANAL: With an aim to nip dengue in the bud, the district administration has decided to launch an enforcement on hotels, eateries and several places besides imposing fine on those not adhering to hygienic standards under the Food Securities Act.
This was decided by district administration after consultation with stakeholders and health authorities at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Additional District Magistrate Abanikant Patnaik. Health department officials have promised to provide audio visual presentation about the disease as part of an awareness drive to stop dengue in all educational institutes. Awareness will also be undertaken at highly disease-prone areas.
Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr Basudev Behera said information education communication materials will be sent to all block education authorities to educate students on the disease.According to reports, three patients died of dengue in 2011 and 2012. Fortunately, no deaths were recorded after 2012. The number of persons affected also declined from 116 testing positive for the disease in 2011 to 51 in 2017. The highest number of affected persons, 274, was reported in 2014.
Additional District Magistrate Officer (ADMO) Dr Bidyut Kumar Nanda said the drive will also reach out to areas where water remains stagnant thus becoming breeding ground for mosquitoes and exposing people to the disease. Several lanes of Sanasathiabatia and Badasathiabatia and the new drainage systems are not maintained properly. Regular cleaning of drains and enforcement on food stalls and hotels has become essential.