With the Capital in the grip of dengue these days, women and children living in the slums of Delhi have taken it upon themselves to educate their fellow residents about the disease and how they can prevent it.
One such awareness campaign was facilitated by Asha Community and Health Development Society, which has been working for the welfare of children and women in various slums across Delhi. Their cleanliness and dengue awareness drives have been carried out in areas including Seelampur, Trilokpuri, Mayapuri and Anna Nagar.
An awareness campaign was organised in Seelampur on Monday, which saw participation of nearly 100 women and children. The participants cleaned the streets while spreading the message of cleanliness among other residents. Holding placards reading “Awareness is the best precaution for dengue” and “Cleanliness is the only solution for healthy life”, the women and children went around the lanes of Seelampur.
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Parveen, one of participants, said: “We discuss diseases and various other things at the Asha Centre and then pass on the information to other residents of our lane. We thought that it was very important to educate people about dengue because a large number of people are falling prey to the disease.”
“We suggested some preventive measures for dengue like keeping water-filled containers covered properly and changing water at least once a week to check mosquito breeding. People urged people to use mosquito nets and repellents even during daytime,” said 13-year-old Khushnuma.
Faizan, a college student, said: “I have been taught about the disease in college and at the Asha Centre. So I thought it was my duty to educate others too. I am sure our effort is going to help people and they will keep their surroundings clean.”
According to the surveys conducted by Asha, around 89 per cent of slum residents in Delhi do not have access to any government healthcare centre within slum area. Adding to this, fear, ignorance and lack of financial means further prevent them from seeking even basic healthcare or practicing preventive measures to improve their health standards.