Street plays, folk songs to help raise Dengue awareness

In the wake of multiple Dengue cases in the state, the West Bengal government has decided to take help from folk artists to enact street plays and folk songs to raise the awareness levels among the public about the vector-borne disease.
"We have used these artistes very successfully for spreading information about the various government schemes earlier. Keeping that in mind, we have decided to employ them for the cause of raising awareness in fighting Dengue," a senior official at the secretariat said today.
These artists will be performing at different locations throughout the state starting from big towns to the remotest of villages to spread the awareness regarding the disease, he said.

The script for the street dramas, as well as the songs and poems related to fighting Dengue will be penned by officials of the Health Department.
"Our health officials have been employed to write scripts for the dramas keeping in mind the disease. They are also writing songs and poems for the purpose. The scripts will be handed over to the artists who will decide on their performance," the IAS officer said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on October 30 said 13 Dengue deaths were reported in the state, but there was no need to "panic".
However, sources at the state health department said more than 21,000 Dengue cases have been reported from different parts of the state since January.

Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had on Thursday wrote to Banerjee over cases of Dengue, Chikungunya and malaria and requested her to ensure treatment of those affected.