Nadda directs health officials to gear up for monsoon

Ahead of monsoon, Health Minister J P Nadda today directed officials to gear up for meeting the possible incidences of vector-borne diseases like dengue.
He directed the officials to continuously monitor the situation and keep him apprised.
"We are coordinating with the states concerned and are ready to provide all necessary support," Nadda said.
Reviewing the preparedness of four northern states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, a high-level meeting was held yesterday by Secretary Health B P Sharma, said an official statement from the ministry.
He directed states to work in coordination with 'Swachh Bharat Campaign' to maintain a mosquito-free environment.

"The states were advised to launch public awareness campaigns to disseminate information on the DO's and DON'Ts of the disease as community awareness campaign plays a crucial role to create awareness and prevent panic in case of dengue positivity," it said.

The states were advised to focus on source reduction activity to eliminate the mosquito vector breeding and reduce the risk of transmission as no vaccine is available for prevention and no specific drug for treatment of the diseases.
"The states were advised to give priority to training of doctors based on the recent National Guidelines on Dengue case management. The states were also asked to ensure availability of dengue diagnostic kits in all the Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals," the release said.

Provision of implementation of legislation for the construction sites and residential areas was identified as one of the thrust areas during the meeting.