Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Vector control gets attention

The chikungunya outbreak and the subsequent controversies over the virulence of the disease have succeeded in focussing the attention of policy makers and the general public on the break down of the public health system in the State.

Never before has preventive public health measures like environmental hygiene and vector control activities received so much attention. Bringing down the mosquito population was particularly important in the context of this crippling outbreak that the authorities lost no time in roping in the assistance of celebrities in declaring a war on mosquitoes. The Health Department brought out a public health message featuring cine actor Jyothirmayi on how vector-borne diseases can be kept under check just by maintaining environmental hygiene and reducing the amount of plastic waste. "Chikungunya is not fatal, take plenty of rest and stay under mosquito nets," went the message.

The Indian Medical Association too brought out a one-minute film on the importance of vector control, featuring Suresh Gopi.

C. Maya

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