Focus on vector control measures, says Lt. Governor

Flagging off a dengue awareness pageant on Friday, Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan called for stronger vector control measures to prevent mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and zika.

“Let us not ignore these important diseases as we combat coronavirus,” she said at the inaugural event for observing the Anti Dengue Month under the auspices of the Health Department.

“Like the requirement of oxygen in those with acute coronavirus infection, the demand for platelets shoots up among many dengue patients,” she said.

The Lt. Governor pointed out that dengue-spreading mosquitoes, the females of the Aedes aegypti species, thrived in freshwater.

She stressed the importance of maintaining hygienic surroundings. From a health viewpoint, about 80% of diseases could be avoided by maintaining cleanliness, she added.

A. Ganesan, Assistant Director (Malaria), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, administered an oath to eradicate dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases in the Union Territory.

Ms. Soundararajan later opened an oxygen transit point at IGMCRI, which would serve as an intermediary facility for admissions, and distributed certificates and incentives to medical students who engaged in COVID-19 control measures at the Mother Theresa PG and Research Institute of Health Sciences.

Focus on vector control measures, says Lt. Governor

‘Let’s not ignore these diseases as we combat coronavirus’