UP to launch special campaign against infectious diseases from July 1

Taking a step towards tackling health-related challenges due to vector-borne and seasonal diseases, the state of Uttar Pradesh has decided to launch a special campaign from July 1. As per reports, the administration will adopt a multi-faceted strategy to curb the spread of communicable, infectious diseases by means of regular sanitation and fogging drives in addtion to multiple public awareness campaigns. The timely move is aimed at reducing the state's infection load during peak monsoon months.

While presiding over a recent high-level meeting ,the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister instructed officials to ensure the continuous sanitation and fogging drives to protect the state from vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya, and others.

Special awareness drives will be conducted on a war footing to educate and inform the public about the advantages of sanitation and fogging for improved hygiene and immunity.

"The cooperation of organisations like WHO, UNICEF and PATH should be taken. We have two successful models of - Encephalitis control and COVID management in front of us, which will be useful for us in the communicable disease campaign," he said.

The CM further pointed that "There has been a significant reduction in the number of patients affected by encephalitis and deaths due to this disease since 2017. Not only has the prevalence of the disease been controlled, but the deaths due to this have also come down by more than 95%."

UP administration has set up Encephalitis Care Centres at block levels, equipped with PICU beds under the care of trained medical personnel. To run this infrastructure, the state has also made required appointments of doctors, paramedical staff, nurses and AES across all districts. The number of labs and sampling officers have also been been boosted.

An inter-departmental coordination unit has also been set up to ensure all necessary arrangements with departments of medical and health, rural development, urban development, women and child development, agriculture and basic secondary education.

Ministers and nodal officers have been tasked to supervise the campaign and ensure proper implementation. These officials will also take part in the sanitation awareness campaigns, added reports.

Further, officials have also been appointed to ensure that the public receives pure drinking water. If need be, they will also be in-charge of distributing chlorine tablets and running chlorination demo for general awareness and specific use.

The state has also decided to train village heads to conduct door-to-door health surveys. They along with Anganwadi and ASHA workers have been entrusted with the responsibility to apprise people about various water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases."Intensive vector surveillance is essential. Proper arrangements should be made for rapid screening and isolation of patients found with symptoms," the CM concluded.

- with inputs from IANS