An action plan for the prevention and control of dengue in the city has been chartered out by the Chennai Corporation.
Announcing the plan on Thursday, the civic body requested residents of over 10 lakh properties to extend their cooperation for the drive against the disease.
According to a press release, the focus of the action plan will be on ridding the city of mosquito-breeding sources, in order to prevent all vector-borne diseases.
The Corporation will rope in health department officials at all levels, self-help groups, the Public Works Department (PWD) as well as officials of the Integrated Child Development Scheme and anganvadi workers to work towards a dengue-free Chennai together.
Three teams have been formed at the division-level and have been given the responsibility of clearing all sources of dengue. Team one will focus on cleaning all water-storage containers with brushes and bleaching powder. Team two will be responsible for continued fogging operations and chlorination of water. Team three will carry out a house-to-house campaign to clear sources of dengue. They will create awareness on the premises of public buildings, offices, hotels, parks, cinema theatres, marriage halls and industries. Caretakers of all buildings will be made responsible for keeping their premises clean and free from mosquito-breeding sites.
Institutions like the Housing Board, Slum Clearance Board, PWD, Highways, Directorate of School Education, Directorate of Elementary Education, Commissioner of Labour, Directorate of Technical Education, Directorate of Higher Education and Metrowater have been requested to direct their field-level employees to keep their premises and campus free from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, carries of dengue.
All organised groups such as self-help groups, Nehru Yuva Kendra, youth associations, National Service Scheme groups, school and college students, universities and resident welfare associations will be mobilised and deployed for house visits and source-reduction activities.
Since the Aedes aegypti mosquito adapts and breeds in a variety of containers, successfully making mosquito-eradication initiatives a people’s movement is the most effective and sustainable way of tackling this menace, the release said.
Areas in and around hospitals admitting fever cases and clinics will be given priority so that infections do not spread from their premises, the release added.
