CM Yogi lays down instructions for officials to contain waterborne diseases

Lucknow: Putting all the efforts to tackle health challenges caused due to water-borne diseases and other seasonal vagaries, the Yogi government will launch a special communicable disease campaign across the state from July 1.

CM Yogi, while addressing a high-level meeting on Thursday, asked the officials to ensure regular sanitation and fogging drives to protect the state from vector-borne diseases such as Dengue, Malaria, Chikungunya and others.

“The cooperation of organisations like WHO, UNICEF and PATH should be taken. We have two successful models of- Encephalitis control and COVID-19 management in front of us, which will be useful for us in the communicable disease campaign,” said the CM.

Stating that every year from June to November, Purvanchal used to face mayhem with a huge number of children losing their lives to Japanese Encephalitis, CM Yogi said, “There has been a significant reduction in the number of patients affected by encephalitis and deaths due to this disease since 2017. Not only has the prevalence of the disease been controlled, but the deaths due to this have also come down by more than 95 percent.”

“Where the previous governments seemed helpless against the deadly disease, our government took this challenge and put an end to the disease through its coordinated inter-departmental efforts,” he added.
Under this special campaign, people are being made aware of the importance of cleanliness, sanitization, and fogging.

Being extra vigilant and careful, the government has set up an Encephalitis Care Center at Block levels, equipped with PICU beds, and trained medical personnel. Trained doctors, paramedical staff, staff nurses and AES have also been appointed in the districts. The number of technicians in the laboratories are adequate and all are well trained.

The state government has established an inter-departmental coordination to ensure all necessary arrangements with departments of medical and health, rural development, urban development, women and child development, agriculture and basic secondary education.

Ministers and nodal officers will be present in the districts during the campaign. They will also participate in various programmes and make people aware of the importance of cleanliness, sanitation, and the importance of nutritional food.

It has also been directed to the officials to ensure supply of pure drinking water and distribute chlorine tablets. If required, a Chlorination demo should be given to the people.

Congratulating the officials, the CM stated, “Very soon our state will become Kala-azar free and malaria will also be effectively controlled.”

As per the latest data, malaria and Kala-azar diseases are on the way to end in the state. Malaria was observed in less than one per 1,000 population, while Kala-azar disease was observed in less than one per 10,000 population in 22 identified blocks.

Pig enclosures should be arranged away from the public areas. The government also directed spraying insecticides on a regular basis. To prevent scrub typhus, clearing/cutting of bushes should be done in cities/villages as it becomes a breeding ground for rats that could spread disease.

Along with Anganwadi and ASHA workers, training should also be given to village heads to conduct door-to-door health surveys. They have been entrusted with the responsibility to apprise people about various water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases.

Intensive vector surveillance is essential. Proper arrangements should be made for rapid screening and isolation of patients found with symptoms.

Adequate availability of ambulances

Laying down the instructions, the CM said that there should be adequate availability of ambulances for patients. Ambulance response time should be kept to a minimum. Rapid response teams should be formed in all districts. The disease surveillance data system should be strengthened for speedy outbreak response.

Dastak Campaign to launch from July 16

Efforts should be made to control mosquitoes through fogging and sanitisation in areas with high mosquito/larvae density, identified on the basis of experience of the past years and areas with high mosquito/larval density on the basis of house-to-house surveys conducted by the teams during the Dastak campaign.

It is to be mentioned that a door-to-door Dastak campaign will start in the state from July 16 to 31 to prevent the spread of encephalitis, malaria, dengue, filariasis, and Chikungunya. Under this campaign, medical teams will go door-to-door to identify patients suffering from infectious diseases.