HYDERABAD: The national division of the International Foundation for Prevention of Birth Disorders has undertaken a massive awareness campaign in 100 slums across the twin cities focussing on the root causes of birth defects.

The campaign, which took off in mid-October, has so far conducted over 25 programmes in various slums in association with the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI). The programmes, handled by a seven-member team of the Foundation and supervised by Foundation secretary general B. Srinadh, are focusing on environmental factors and pollution causing birth defects, cancer and infertility apart from respiratory and cardiac problems.

The rising number of infections due to lowered immunity caused by exposure to pollution is also being focussed during the campaign, Dr. Srinadh said.

Seminars

Once the programmes in the slums are over, the Foundation aims at extending awareness campaign to schools and colleges in the twin cities.

Seminars, debates and other health-related programmes are being planned, according to Dr. Srinadh.

As for the slums, a month's time would be given, after which the teams would go back to the slums covered and check on how effective their programmes were.

The Foundation is also planning to submit a proposal to the Centre to involve the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Environments in the campaign. Similar campaigns were conducted in remote villages near Machilipatnam and other areas in the State apart from taking up studies on the environment conditions in rural villages, Dr. Srinadh said.

With the studies contradicting the popular concept that villages were healthier than urban areas, mostly due to the unhygienic lifestyles, stress was on maintaining cleaner surroundings and sanitary measures, he added.

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