Friday, 06 SEPTEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Health Department is planning to conduct specialised dengue prevention campaigns on weekends in the dengue hotspot areas of Dehradun to mitigate the peak period of dengue cases typically experienced by the district in September and October. Stating this, the Dehradun district surveillance officer Dr CS Rawat said that there have been three confirmed cases of dengue in the Dehradun district so far. These cases were reported in the first week of September, though no dengue cases were reported in the district till August. Rawat cautioned that the lack of cases reported until August does not guarantee the absence of cases in September. He emphasised that the conducive environment for dengue breeding in September poses a significant risk. To proactively address this potential outbreak and prevent the surge of dengue cases in September, the department has outlined preventive measures, he added.
He further informed that since July 1, the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers have initiated dengue prevention campaigns in their designated regions. To enhance alertness in September, the department intends to organise a specialised campaign on weekends, specifically on Saturdays and Sundays. During this initiative, the team from areas with fewer larvae will be temporarily relocated to regions where larvicides are predominantly utilized for dengue prevention activities. Additionally, he added that the department is planning to collaborate with the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) to jointly issue penalties to residential and commercial establishments where dengue larvae persistently appear during inspections, he said.
Regarding the locations where dengue larvae are predominantly found in the district, they include Rispana Bridge, Dhamawala, Chukuwala, Panditwadi, Basant Vihar and several others. He emphasised that individuals should wear full sleeves clothing to prevent dengue infection. Additionally, he recommended eliminating any stagnant water in the vicinity to curb the breeding of mosquitoes carrying the virus.
It can be recalled that since July 1, ASHA workers have been conducting a dengue awareness campaign by educating people on prevention methods and inspecting households for larvae. Additionally, 550 ASHA workers are engaged in this initiative, with each worker visiting 40 to 50 houses daily. Further, 100 volunteers in Dehradun and 40 in Rishikesh have been assigned to increase dengue prevention awareness in their respective wards.
