KMC to involve school students in anti-dengue campaigns

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will involve school students in dengue campaign in a more proactive manner from next year. "We feel that if awareness about dengue begins right from the primary level in schools, it will yield better results in our constant endeavour to combat the vector-borne disease. The students will tell their parents to maintain cleanliness in homes and not to let stagnant water accumulate in and around their residences," Member Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh said.

Ghosh led a rally in Muchipara area with children of 13 schools in the area along with Chairman of Borough 3 Anindya Kishore Routh on Tuesday where school students were seen with placards on dengue awareness and its preventive measures.

Ghosh took a dig at the Union Health ministry and alleged that the research institutes have not been able to provide guidelines to the civic bodies regarding the change in the nature of vector-borne diseases. "We have written to the Centre in this regard but I am sorry to say that they have not done enough to educate the civic bodies on the mosquito virus that is responsible for dengue disease," Ghosh said. The KMC on Sunday had stepped up its ante in its fight against dengue with Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, member mayor in councils and Councillors conducting awareness drives at all 144 wards of the civic body. Chatterjee led from the front as he took to the streets in his own ward 131 at Behala Parnasree and also spread bleaching powder on his own. Chatterjee in the last week had held a meeting with the Councillors and urged all of them to conduct awareness drives in their respective wards. Each Councillor was provided with Rs 1,000 and leaflets on dengue awareness.

Chatterjee had said that Kolkata is safe when it comes to dengue. "Some political forces are trying to spread canards over dengue. Any type of fever is being branded as dengue by these forces. Incidents of dengue are lesser in the city in comparison to other cities in India," he said.