The Hindu    18.08.2012

Door-to-door campaign to combat dengue

It was ‘business unusual’ for 200 students from three colleges who were on a door-to-door-campaign distributing pamphlets and explaining to residents about preventive measures against dengue in 60 wards.

In an effort to create awareness among people about measures to prevent dengue outbreak, health officials from City Municipal Corporation have brought in NSS students from Salem Sowdeswari College, Jairam Arts and Science College and Vysya College.

The week-long campaign from August 13 to 18 saw students visiting houses and explaining to people about the breeding of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes that spread dengue fever, and measures to prevent dengue.

Students inspected cement tanks, pots, tin and plastic containers, tyres, grinding stones, coconut shells, coolers and flower vases, and removed stagnant water. Health officials also poured ‘pyrithrim’, a medicine used to destroy the mosquito larvae, into the water storage containers.

Officials

Students and health officials on Friday visited Devangapuram Street, near Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital, and carried out anti-larval operations.

Residents complained that the drain that carried sewage from the hospital and waste water from the post-mortem examination section had not been cleaned in eight years.

They also complained that due to clogged drains, sewage water enters their houses and the situation is worse during rainy seasons. Sanitary workers asked people not to dump solid waste and plastic bags in drains that lead to clogging.

Health officials pointed out the measures taken to prevent dengue outbreak like administering dengue eradication pledge in schools during prayers, training students to identify the mosquitoes in their houses and carrying out anti-larval operations and fogging operations by sanitary workers.

Corporation officials also said that an awareness rally about dengue prevention methods would also be carried out soon.