With peak dengue and malaria season around the corner, and since people have started using air coolers, a lot many places in the city are turning into active mosquito breeding grounds due to the rains.
To take on the issue, the Health Department has asked residents to take ample precautions to protect themselves and others from mosquito-borne diseases.
The department, along with the municipal corporation, has initiated action in this regard, and appealed to residents to devote one day per week to clean or change stagnant water in and around their houses.
Health officials said residents should ensure that water did not accumulate in coolers, flower pots, refrigerator trays, rooftop containers, tanks or discarded household items.
“The most effective way to prevent dengue is to stop mosquito breeding at the source,” said
Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Rajinderpal Kaur.
She added that ‘Every Friday Dry Day’ was the official slogan of the department’s campaign to check mosquito breeding.
She said anti-larva activities, fogging drives, spraying operations and public awareness programmes had been started in this regard. District Epidemiologist Dr Harjot Kaur said dengue was a viral fever spread through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Symptoms included high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, vomiting, and bleeding from the nose or gums, she added.
She advised people experiencing such symptoms to immediately visit government hospitals for free testing and treatment.
Health officials shared important precautions for the public. Residents have been advised to wear full-sleeved clothes, use mosquito repellents and keep surroundings clean and dry. People should change cooler water every week, tightly cover water storage containers and avoid littering unused tyres, bottles, cans or other containers in which water can collect.
Residents have also been urged not to ignore symptoms of fever, or self-medicate.
Officials stressed that community participation remained key to making the anti-dengue campaign successful.
