Public urged to involve in anti-dengue initiatives
Dimapur, November 19 : With the number of people being affected by dengue, a recent outbreak of which has led to fatalities in Dimapur district alone, the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and the National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP) on Saturday, November 19, organised a seminar about dengue control.
The event, conducted at the DMC’s premises, was organized for chairmen and GBs of colonies in the municipality.
During the program Dr. Moa, the District Vector Borne Officer (DVBO), said that the number of dengue cases this year was alarming: 106 positive cases out of the 573 samples till date. During the previous year only 20 cases were detected. He also clarified public’s notion that dengue starts from drainages. In his explanation: ‘dengue breeds in man-made containers and in small collection of water.’
‘Dengue should not cause death–if prevented–but occurs only in severe cases. The rumours on dengue death cannot be confirmed without ELISA test which is available only at district hospital Dimapur,’ Dr. Moa said. He also informed the gathering that the World Health Organisation (WHO) approves the authenticity of dengue cases only through ELISA test.
The disease taking toll finally pushed the Dimapur district administration, the department, and the Rotary Club of Dimapur to fog the town during the past one month. However Dr. Moa said that fogging was not the answer to controlling dengue: ‘it will need 100 percent participation from all households to control the social menace.’
Kikolul, assistant director of the Urban Vector Borne Disease Scheme (UVBSC) also reiterated that fogging was not the solution to totally control Dengue. He called for joint efforts of every household to choose total sanitation.
The department has distributed 1 lakh 45 thousand larvivorous fish to control mosquito populations. However with the dengue cases mounting, the department and the district administration besides said club are targeting ‘intensive fogging’ across entire Dimapur towns by November 28, he informed.
Also, the administrator of the DMC, H Atokhe Aye, urged colony councils to initiate intensive cleanliness drives in their respective areas to control the outbreak. He maintained that the DMC and the district administration have been trying to reach out to all the wards of Dimapur but appealed colony members to take the move to prevent the dengue outbreak and stop the cycle of transmission.
Prevention and control measures for Dengue:
• All water storage containers should be covered
• Remove/destroy all disposable, unused material lying around the house like old tyres, broken pots, crockery etc.
• Dry all water storage utensils, coolers, flower vases, fridge trays at least once a week.
• Fill up ditches and other unwanted water collection sites around the houses.
• Put insecticides, petrol, kerosene oil in cooler, AC trays etc which cannot be emptied or clean
• Wear clothes that cover the whole body in day time
• Use mosquito repellent lotion
• Pregnant women and children should sleep under mosquito net during day time
