To encourage the youth to partake in the process of awareness for social causes and better dissemination of information, the Udupi district health department has decided to make students health ambassadors to spread awareness about mosquito breeding and vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria.
Although there are about 1,000 ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) and staff attached to the primary health centres (PHCs), the initiative was taken to increase awareness and spread the message to each and every family. The cases of vector-borne diseases have not yet surged in the district but such initiatives have been taken as precautionary measures as rain has started to pour more intermittently this week, as per The New Indian Express.
Plan and Programme
According to the sources in the health department, the programme will be held in every school in the district on Saturdays and the teachers have been trained in this regard. The involvement of students in this programme would ensure that cleanliness will be given the utmost priority within their homes and also nearby surrounding areas. This would not only make the students aware but also send the message to the community in a faster way, added the sources.
Dr Prashant Bhat, Udupi district vector-borne diseases control officer said that mostly stagnant water gets accumulated in discarded waste such as ender coconut shells, discarded tyres and bottles, cups and plates, which will lend scope for the breeding of mosquitoes and cause diseases. He also added that a vector-borne disease awareness chariot will travel for two months across the district and it will halt at some junctions to stage awareness programmes.
He added that the health department will launch intensive adult mosquito control and source reduction activities in the regions such as Udupi city areas, Kundapur, Kollur and Karkala. Special focus will be laid on rural pockets as many vector-borne disease cases were reported from rural areas in previous years.
Other measures have also been taken by the department such as fogging to kill adult mosquitoes. However, he states that the source reduction will remain as the focus as fogging has no effect on larvae.
