Month-long anti malaria campaign launched in city

Month-long anti malaria campaign launched in city

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 3, 2012 : The DK district administration, the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC), and the district Health and Family Welfare Department jointly launched a month-long malaria and dengue eradication campaign on July 3, Tuesday.

 

 

N. Yogish Bhat, deputy speaker of the state legislative assembly, inaugurated the campaign and said that identifying mosquito breeding areas such as construction sites and others to prevent malaria from spreading is the need of the hour. He also suggested fogging as an excellent way to control mosquitoes. Speaking of the need to create public awareness, Mr. Bhat suggested involving NSS students from colleges in this campaign.

Addressing the gathering, Mayor Gulzar Banu said that the MCC will do everything in its power to make the city free of malaria.

Dr. Arun Kumar, district vector-borne disease control officer, spoke about the month-long campaign.

The campaign will include activities such as collection of blood smears, fever surveillance, and source eradication and will involve 30 junior health assistants from the health and family welfare department, 10 junior HIFs from urban health centres, 30 volunteers sponsored by the MCC, and 30 MSW and BSW student volunteers. The focus of the campaign will be on construction sites, and the campaign will use 2 sprayers, 2 MPW, and two vehicles, he added.

Senior health inspectors from health centres all over urban and rural DK will supervise the campaign, and a total of 10 lab technicians will be appointed in public health labs to test blood smears.

Each worker will visit 1000 houses within one month, collect blood smears from people suffering from fever and conduct a fever survey. They will also interact with people and create awareness about the dangers of mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water.

Among those present were MLA Krishna J. Palemar, Deputy Mayor Amitha Kala, MCC Commissioner Harish Kumar, Senior Malaria Inspector Jayaram Poojary, and others.