Waking up to the menace of dengue and chikungunya in the capital, the Health and Family Welfare Department of Delhi launched their campaign for awareness of Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria and Swine Flu on 1 September.
Over 33,964 cases of dengue have been reported across India in 2017.
The recent case was of a 12-year-old boy in Delhi who died due to dengue shock syndrome. According to a latest municipal report, at least 657 people have been affected by dengue this season in Delhi alone.
Although caused by the same mosquito, dengue can lead to death while Chikungunya is medically classified as non-fatal.
The campaign, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, was directed primarily at school principals, members of various Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and NGOs.
Two short films on prevention methods were screened for the audience. The main aim was to include school children and housing society members in the fight against these deadly diseases.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal encouraged everyone to screen these films in schools and housing societies so that maximum number of people could be trained in preventive measures.
If 26 lakh school children of Delhi join this campaign, I am sure we will definitely be able to fight against these diseases. Aware and responsible children will help us win this fight.Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
He also urged the people to be vigilant and to make sure that there was no stagnation of water in and around their houses. This would prevent the growth of any mosquito larva in the first place.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia appealed to the school principals to encourage children to inspect their houses and neighboring areas for stagnated water every week and clean it.
He also encouraged people to take responsibility instead of resorting to blame game.
Speaking to The Quint, Asha Seth, senior faculty at Government Girls Senior Secondary School Rohini, said:
While this is a great initiative to include school children and motivate them to fight dengue and other diseases, I feel the campaign should have started before the onset of monsoon. This would have helped children and schools prepare in a better way.
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