Tirunelveli district puts in place integrated anti-dengue operations by local bodies and Department of Public Health

The district administration has put in place an integrated approach by involving the local bodies and the Department of Public Health in the anti-dengue operations ahead of ensuing southwest monsoon season to commence in June.

Since the La Nina climatic pattern is expected to bring more showers during the southwest monsoon this year, the district administration is gearing up to face possible adverse effects of the downpour including dengue outbreak.

According to District Collector K.P. Karthikeyan, the local bodies and the Department of Public Health had been asked to keep ready all equipment, chemicals and other materials required for anti-dengue operations. The physical presence and the quality of fieldwork of the anti-dengue workers deployed by the village panchayats, town panchayats, municipalities and the Corporation would be monitored by the Area Medical Officers, Block Development Officers, Executive Officers of Town Panchayat and the Commissioners of the municipalities and the Corporation.

The workforce deployed on the field should create anti-dengue awareness among the public by disseminating awareness messages.

The monitoring officers had been empowered to check the quality of work at any place under their jurisdiction before submitting report in this connection to their higher-ups, who, in turn, would send the compiled report to the District Collector at regular intervals.

The block-level and taluk-level coordination meetings should be conducted periodically by the Block Development Officers, Executive Officers and the Commissioners to review the anti-dengue work executed on the field and the desirable results yielded. The report to be submitted by the officials to the District Collector should also include this information.

 “Since the pre-monsoon summer showers have been reported in some parts of the district during this month, the fieldworkers have been instructed to look for discarded coconut shells, plastic products, tires, teacups, broken cement or terracotta pots, drums etc. as the stagnant water in these disposed materials would provide potential breeding ground for dengue mosquito. Due action should be taken against those who have heaped these products in their properties without heeding to the awareness events organised by us. If dengue outbreak is reported in any particular place, the officials concerned would have to furnish reasons for the sudden eruption of the vector-borne disease in his or her area and the action subsequently taken to contain the spreading of the fever. We seek wholehearted cooperation of the public in eradicating dengue mosquito,” appealed Dr. Karthikeyan.

After a preliminary coordination meeting held at the Collectorate on Tuesday with the Collector in chair, the second-level coordination meeting was organised by the Commissioners, Executive Officers and the Block Development Officers in their offices on Wednesday to discuss the operations to be carried out in their respective places. The meeting also identified vulnerable places in their areas.

Corporation Commissioner Shubham Thakare Dnyandeorao chaired the anti-dengue meeting held at the Corporation on Wednesday.

The Department of Public Health in Thoothukudi district has started surprise checks in the places where fever cases are on the rise. Following spurt in the number of fever cases in Authoor and the surrounding areas, the Public Health Department officials inspected the houses and the commercial establishments in this area on Wednesday.