Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today asked city residents to devote ten minutes everyday to inspect their household for signs of mosquito- breeding as a means to prevent dengue and chikungunya.
The chief minister was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 'Perfect Health Mela', a health fair organised from October 4-8 at the Talkatora Stadium here by an NGO.
"I, Delhi health minister and deputy chief minister, did a lot of research, and we realised that if people, in every household, devoted at least 10 minutes in the morning to check any signs of mosquito-breeding or potential places of breeding, we can prevent the occurrences of dengue and chikungunya," he said.
Vector-borne diseases dengue and chikungunya are caused by the aedes agypti mosquito, which breeds in clear water. The anopheles mosquito, which causes malaria, can breed in both fresh and muddy water.
"Prevention is better than cure and therefore, people of Delhi must resolve that they will declare a war against vector-borne diseases. This year the number of cases of dengue and chikungunya compared to those recorded last year, are a lot less.
"We had started a campaign about one-and-a-half month ago and we have also made a film (educational) on it," Kejriwal said.
The Delhi government through outdoor campaigns and advertisements inside metro coaches has been raising awareness about prevention of dengue and chikungunya. The punchline being 'Delhi residents declare a war against dengue and chikungunya'.
At least 756 fresh cases of dengue have been reported in the city till September 30, taking the number of people affected by the vector-borne disease this season to 3,865, according to the latest municipal report.
The number of malaria and chikungunya cases recorded in the same period stood at 95 and 589 respectively.
He also urged the organisers of the health fair to take it beyond the confines of an auditorium to as many schools and neighbourhoods as possible.
Of the total 3,865 dengue cases, 1,807 affected people were residents of Delhi, while the rest were from other states. Of the 1,807 cases of the Delhi residents, 1,103 were reported this month, the report said.
Dengue has claimed one life in the city during the season so far.
The cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between mid-July and November-end. The cases of all the three vector-borne diseases were reported much earlier this time. Doctors had attributed this to early arrival of monsoon.
According to the report, breeding of mosquitoes has been reported from 1,74,593 households in Delhi.
At least 15 fatalities were reported last year from various city hospitals due to complications triggered by chikungunya, though the civic bodies had kept the death tally at zero.
In one of the worst outbreaks, a total of 12,221 chikungunya cases were reported in Delhi till December 24, 2016, of which 9,749 were confirmed.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
