The Times of India 04.03.2013
Bid to control waterborne diseases
KOZHIKODE: The health department has instructed the local self- government(LSG)
bodies to pass the information on marriages, festivals and other
functions to health staff in their respective areas. This is to check
the quality of food and water that is being served to the people.
The department has instructed the LSG bodies to inform health officials
to carry out inspections to curb the spread of waterborne diseases.
The step was taken after jaundice was detected in 20 persons, who attended a marriage function last week. The department has also directed its field staff to keep a tight vigil in the district and conduct inspection at marriage functions and festival venues to ensure that the water being used to cook food is hygienic.
They will ensure that 6,500 wells in the district are properly chlorinated. The department has also formed a squad to check the quality of drinking water being supplied by the private parties to various parts of the district. The department has also urged the public to report about the holding of any functions and festivals where food is being served to ensure the safety of the public at least one week in advance.The health staff will chlorinate the water used to prepare food for drinking after conducting inspection.
The chances of spreading waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and jaundice are very high if the public consume unhygienic water. The health department has taken the preventive measures to avoid outbreak of waterborne diseases with the rising mercury level and scarcity of drinking water that has been forcing people to depend on water supplied by private parties.
Kuttiady grama panchayat president K K Nafeesa said that the panchayat will hold an inter-department meeting on March 5 to chalk out a plan to tackle the jaundice cases in the border areas of the panchayat.
Additional district medical officer Dr M K Appunny said that the department has directed the LSG bodies concerned to begin regular inspections to avoid outbreak of waterborne diseases. "PWe are expecting cases of diarrhoea, typhoid and jaundice in the coming days. Only preventive measures and public cooperation would help to bring down the numbers,'' he said. The public can directly contact the health staff in their respective areas to carry out free chlorination of water bodies to ensure that they give safe drinking water. Those who conduct functions should distribute only boiled water to the guests,'' he said.
Kozhikode corporation health standing committee chairperson Janamma Kunjunni said that the civic body has been distributing chlorinated water to public from the two reservoirs of Mananchira and Neelachira. "A meeting will be held on March 4 with health inspectors to chalk out steps to curb the spreading of water borne diseases.
We have also decided to seek the help of district administration to put up a mechanism in place to check the quality of drinking water supplied by private parties as the civic body lacks resources to do the same,'' said Kunjunni.
The step was taken after jaundice was detected in 20 persons, who attended a marriage function last week. The department has also directed its field staff to keep a tight vigil in the district and conduct inspection at marriage functions and festival venues to ensure that the water being used to cook food is hygienic.
They will ensure that 6,500 wells in the district are properly chlorinated. The department has also formed a squad to check the quality of drinking water being supplied by the private parties to various parts of the district. The department has also urged the public to report about the holding of any functions and festivals where food is being served to ensure the safety of the public at least one week in advance.The health staff will chlorinate the water used to prepare food for drinking after conducting inspection.
The chances of spreading waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and jaundice are very high if the public consume unhygienic water. The health department has taken the preventive measures to avoid outbreak of waterborne diseases with the rising mercury level and scarcity of drinking water that has been forcing people to depend on water supplied by private parties.
Kuttiady grama panchayat president K K Nafeesa said that the panchayat will hold an inter-department meeting on March 5 to chalk out a plan to tackle the jaundice cases in the border areas of the panchayat.
Additional district medical officer Dr M K Appunny said that the department has directed the LSG bodies concerned to begin regular inspections to avoid outbreak of waterborne diseases. "PWe are expecting cases of diarrhoea, typhoid and jaundice in the coming days. Only preventive measures and public cooperation would help to bring down the numbers,'' he said. The public can directly contact the health staff in their respective areas to carry out free chlorination of water bodies to ensure that they give safe drinking water. Those who conduct functions should distribute only boiled water to the guests,'' he said.
Kozhikode corporation health standing committee chairperson Janamma Kunjunni said that the civic body has been distributing chlorinated water to public from the two reservoirs of Mananchira and Neelachira. "A meeting will be held on March 4 with health inspectors to chalk out steps to curb the spreading of water borne diseases.
We have also decided to seek the help of district administration to put up a mechanism in place to check the quality of drinking water supplied by private parties as the civic body lacks resources to do the same,'' said Kunjunni.
