the goan I network
PANAJI
Sharada Mandir School, who had allowed students to wear jeans to school in the months of September-October in light of a dengue outbreak in Miramar, was praised at the recent state-level review meeting of vector-borne diseases chaired by Health Secretary J Ashok Kumar.
A source present at the meeting informed, “The response of the management, teachers and students of Sharada Mandir to the outbreak of dengue came in praise at the meeting. The awareness campaign undertaken by them to control the spread of the disease in collaboration with the Urban Health Center and National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme was also appreciated.”
It was also suggested that this case study of action be replicated in other schools in other towns of Goa when it came to dealing with vector-borne disease outbreaks.
Meanwhile, the meeting also brought to light that a filaria-free Goa was a possibility in the near future, after the necessary mandatory surveys and checks are undertaken by WHO officials.
The need to give wide publicity to the fact that all cases of Vector Borne Diseases should be notified under Section 59 of the Goa Public Health Act 1985 and Rules 1987 was discussed.
This is important so as to create awareness among the medical fraternity as well as the general public, so that they can take precautions against the same.
It was reported that even landlords, whose tenants are affected by a vector-borne disease, have reported to Health Officials about their tenants being affected.
This was appreciated as it was in the interest of public health for people to do this.
Earlier in September, around 16 cases of dengue were reported from near the school at Miramar. Health authorities discovered mosquito breeding areas where construction work was going on at a nearby club.
With the dengue scare in the air, concerned parents had reportedly stopped sending their children to school while others sent their kids equipped with mosquito repellents.
Some parents approached the school authorities seeking permission for students to break the ‘full uniform to school’ rule and wear jeans along with their uniform shirts. School authorities immediately acquiesced, and those students who wished to do so, started wearing jeans to school.
