Health dept gears up to check vector-borne diseases

LUCKNOW: Come July 1, the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Aganwadi workers and ANMs will knock on the doors in rural areas of 38 districts in east UP and terai region, not to screen them for coronavirus infection but to inquire if the children have been vaccinated for protection against vectorborne diseases, including Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE).

Amid the fight against Covid, the state government has decided to gear up the health machinery to check the spread of vector-borne diseases-- Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), Japanese Encephalitis (JE), dengue, malaria and kalazar with the onset of the monsoon. Outbreak of vector-borne disease is reported in the rainy season.

A month-long vector-borne disease control programmeDastak campaign --will be launched on July 1.

Launched in association with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the programme focused on social and behaviour change communication adopted by the state government to check vector- borne diseases, said director, vector-borne disease control department, Dr Mithlesh Chaturvedi.

The programme will be launched in all 75 districts but the focus will be on the 38 districts in which outbreak of the AES/ JE is reported. The other state government departments, including education, revenue, panchayat, women and child development will coordinate with the health department in the organization of the programme in all the districts.

The frontline health workersASHA, Aganwadi and ANMs were screening the migrant workers staying in the home quarantine these days to find out if they are infected with coronavirus, said a health department officer.

The state health department had started training of the medical staff as well as the personnel of other government departments through Zoom webinar services. The focus would be on reaching the vulnerable people

as well as protection from coronavirus infection. The training programme would conclude by June end, the officer said.

The health department had launched the first phase of the immunization drive for protection from Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in February, before the onset of the Covid pandemic, said secretary, health and family welfare, V Hekali Zhimomi. Under the intensive vaccination programme organized in 38 districts, the department had vaccinated 1.14 crore children, she said.

In view of the Covid pandemic, the state health department had issued guidelines for the Dastak programme and the health and other staff were directed to not visit the hotspots or the villages in which coronavirus infection cases had been reported, said a health department officer.