A HEALTH COVER:Deputy Mayor Amita Kala and Mayor Gulzar Banu
distributing mosquito nets among hotel workers in Mangalore on Friday.—
PHOTO: R. ESWARRAJ
The Mangalore City Corporation on Friday began an
awareness campaign on malaria and dengue in the city. The first of the
programme was held at Gujarati School while the second one was held for
the hotel workers.
The corporation will involve the National Service Scheme students and carry out a door-to-door awareness drive.
The
corporation organised the programme for hotel workers in association
with the Dakshina Kannada Hotel and Restaurant Association on the Hotel
Woodlands premises.
Mayor Gulzaar Banu inaugurated the programme.
The
highlight of the programme was distribution of mosquito nets to around
50 employees working in different hotels. “Each of the hotel owners will
be distributing mosquito nets to employees separately,” said
association’s president Kudbi Jagadish Shenoy.
Mobile lab
The
association on Friday launched the mobile malaria testing laboratory.
“This vehicle will be going to each of the hotels in the city and carry
out test for malaria,” Mr. Shenoy said.
Association
vice-presidenet Swarna Sunder said the mobile laboratory would be
exclusively used for the hotel employees. The Mangala Hospital has
agreed to provide staff to run the mobile laboratory, Mr. Sunder said.
Corporation
In-charge Health Officer C.M. Sudarshan said sleeping under the
mosquito nets was the best way to prevent malaria. “Sleeping inside the
mosquito net decreases transmission of malaria by about 90 per cent,”
Dr. Sudershan said. It was necessary for people to be aware of ways to
prevent breeding of mosquitoes that transmit malaria and dengue.
Dr.
Sudarshan said spread of malaria had nothing to do with disposal of
solid waste as the mosquitoes transmitting malaria and dengue breed in
fresh water.
Corporation Joint Commissioner Srikanth
Rao said stern action by the civic body on the hotels and construction
sites last month had drastically brought out the number of malaria
cases. The number of malaria affected people had come down from 610 in
June to 413 in July.Mr. Rao said the door-to-door malaria awareness campaign would start shortly.
