Addressing mediapersons after a
high-level meet on measures to control fever and the chances of outbreak
of an epidemic, Chandy said that a campaign for the distribution of 
potable water and mosquito control would be launched across the state.
“The Health Department, Kerala Water Authority and local bodies would be
involved in the collective campaign,” he said.

Local bodies would
be instructed to organise ward-level meets and stabilise the grass
roots-level support for the programme,through people’s involvement.

Health
Minister V S Sivakumar said that steps would be taken to ensure that
water used by soda and ice manufacturers have the prescribed quality
levels. The awareness campaign would also lay thrust on consumption of
only boiled water as a habit.

Ensuring water quality checks under
the local bodies would be the responsibility of a team led by respective
panchayat secretaries. Water Resources Minister P J Joseph, Health
Panchayat – Water Resources Department secretaries and top officials
attended the meet.

Each grama panchayat ward would be allocated Rs
25,000 each for prevention measures, the break-up for which would be Rs
10,000 from NRHM, Rs 10,000 from the Health Department and ` 5,000 from
the panchayat’s own fund. Junior health inspectors and junior public
health nurses would be in-charge of the ward-level activities. The
ward-level sanitation committees of each panchayat have been directed to
evaluate the prevention measures before May 6.

Areas which have
reported an epidemic outbreak in the past and which are still prone to
it will be identified to take preventive measures. District-level
evaluation talks would be held on May 15. The equipment and chemicals
required for mosquito eradication would be stored by ward-level
committees. For diagnosis, the plan is to avail the services of the
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, National Institute of Virology at
Alappuzha, DCRG, Pondicherry and Virology institute, Manipal.