Community Outreach May Help Curb Dengue, Chikungunya

Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal directed all local bodies and the Health Department to carry out a high-decibel awareness campaign.

Emphasising the need of community outreach programmes to spread information on prevention and control of vector borne diseases, New Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal directed all local bodies and the Health Department to carry out a "high-decibel" awareness campaign.

He instructed all stakeholders to undertake enhanced surveillance and effective pre-emptive measures, particularly in vulnerable areas, according to an official statement.

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‘All health facilities must ensure stocking of sufficient quantities of requisite drugs and diagnostic kits. There should be adequate arrangements of patient beds especially for dengue and chikungunya in hospitals.’

"Community must be informed and educated about the schedule of visits of Domestic Breeding Checkers in their respective areas and a system of robust feedback from the community has to be developed," he said at a meeting here to discuss preparedness for dengue and chikungunya cases.

Baijal said that he would personally visit some vulnerable areas to check the preparedness, it said.

"He stressed that prevention must remain the primary goal, and an effective awareness campaign to educate the public on small simple preventive measures can go a long way in combating these deadly diseases," the statement added.

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In the meeting, the agencies concerned were asked to identify vulnerable areas and display notice boards at prominent places indicating telephone number of control room for feedback from general public.

"Lt. Governor also directed that all health facilities must ensure stocking of sufficient quantities of requisite drugs and diagnostic kits. There should be adequate arrangements of patient beds especially for dengue and chikungunya in hospitals," the statement said.

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Baijal directed that regular meetings of district coordination committees to discuss various constraints and strategies regarding vector control should be done and measures should also be brought in public domain.

Source-IANS

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