IMA to launch awareness campaigns on vector-borne diseases

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) will launch two campaigns under which all households will be visited to raise awareness on how to control vector- borne diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya.
"Community participation is a must for vector control. No house should be left unattended. The IMA campaign against mosquito breeding, especially Aedes, will be called 'Dengwar'," said K K Aggarwal, the newly appointed President of IMA.
The campaigns will termed 'Aapke ghar me machhar to nahi' and 'Katwaiga to nahi'.
Aggarwal said a large number of diseases can be controlled by teaching and practising hygiene. The campign will comprise personal, food, water, sleep, hand, sexual, pet, kitchen, cough, respiratory, and mobile hygiene and its slogan will be 'Kahin mein gandagi to nahi fela raha'.

The body, which has over 2,53,000 doctors as its members, will launch a series of initiatives in 2017 which will include launching of a project called 'Aao School Chalen', dedicated to hygiene, vector control, and cardiac first aid (CPR). Thousands of lectures will be organised in schools at the same time on the same date across the country.
"IMA will start a Campaign 950 with the intention of bringing the female-to-male ratio back to normal. Apart from that we will also launch 'Poochna mat bhoolo' initiative to promote organ donation in the country in the coming year," Aggarwal said.

A blood donation cell will also be set up to raise awareness about voluntary blood donations. July 1 will be marked as IMA Voluntary Blood Donation Day. Every state will have a blood donation cell and chairmen of all states will meet regularly to promote blood donation.

With regard to the elderly, IMA will start campaigns 'Abhi to main jawan hoon' and 'Forget me not'.
To control non-communicable diseases, IMA supported high alcohol tax, 85 per cent pictorial warning on tobacco packs, high tobacco taxes and introduction of sugar tax. The campaigns will be "White sugar is a slow poison", "Move Move and Move" and "Glow Red Campaign".