The Hindu 20.09.2013
Drive against mosquitoes
10 teams formed to step up fever surveillance
With dengue cases being reported from pockets of the
city and suburbs, the Madurai Corporation has formed 10 special teams to
step up fever surveillance in residential areas.
Educational
institutions have been instructed to focus on sanitation, safe drinking
water and mosquito control measures on their campuses.
Addressing
a press conference here on Thursday, Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa and
Commissioner R. Nanthagopal made a strong plea for public cooperation.
“We
have to take preventive steps on a war-footing as people are gripped by
dengue fear. Medical officers, sanitary inspectors and mazdoors have
been instructed to undertake an anti-dengue campaign,” the Mayor said.
He urged residents to clean overhead water tanks in their homes and prevent water stagnation in their areas.
Mr.Chellappa
said anti-larval fogging operations would be carried out in all wards
to reduce mosquito density and breeding sources.
According to him, 18 dengue positive cases have been reported in Madurai city from March to September.
Corporation
Commissioner R. Nanthagopal told media persons that dengue cases have
been reported from 10 areas in the city: S. Alangulam, Vilangudi,
Railway Colony, Mela Madai, Athikulam, Pankajam Colony, Villapuram,
Meenakshi Amman Koil, Mannar College area and Veerakaliamman Koil area
(ward 90). He said that damaged water pipelines were being repaired and
water channels cleared.
“By the end of this month, we
will complete all the preventive measures to avert a possible outbreak
of dengue in October after the rains,” he added.
The Corporation will also supply the siddha medication ‘Nilavembu Kashayam’ through siddha clinics.
The
public has been advised to alert authorities on specific complaints
relating to sanitation, water stagnation and mosquito menace in their
areas by calling the Corporation on phone number 0452-2531116.
Watch list
Meanwhile,
a private school at Ponnagaram in the city has been put on the dengue
watch list by the Corporation as fever cases are on the rise among its
students.
Following the death of a 14-year-old girl
student Sahana due to dengue on September 17, the civic authorities
conducted an inspection at Vikasa School for two days and ordered the
school management to declare a holiday till the campus clean-up was
completed.
Mr. Nanthagopal told reporters at a press
conference on Thursday that the school “had failed to maintain
sanitation and hygiene standards.”
“During our
inspection, we found that water tanks were in a bad shape. There was no
proper sanitation. In the interest of students, we have instructed the
school staff to keep the campus clean and close the school till such
time (that the clean-up is completed),” he said.
According to the Commissioner, seven students from the school had caught fever.
“Corporation
sanitary workers have cleaned water tanks in the school and it is
important to prevent water stagnation and remove mosquito breeding
sources,” Mr. Nanthagopal said.
The Mayor said that
students’ health and safety were stressed during a dengue awareness
meeting convened for heads of schools on Wednesday.