MCD school kids to spread dengue prevention message

NEW DELHI - With only a month left for the start of the Commonwealth Games, Delhi Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney Saturday called on teachers to join the battle against dengue by spreading awareness among children about prevention of the deadly fever.

At a seminar conducted at Town Hall, Sawhney pointed out that teachers of Municipal Corporation of Delhi-run schools could play a significant role in increasing awareness among students about prevention of dengue.

“The 10 lakh children who study in thousands of MCD-run schools, to put a fair estimate, may come from around seven lakh houses that themselves may contain a population of around 35 lakh,” he said, noting that this number was about a fourth of Delhi’s total population.

He said that if information is spread far and wide, about one-fourth of Delhi will be educated on the dos and don’ts. “The chain of information will thus grow itself,” Sawhney said.

A teacher then queried the status of the yellow cards distributed to students of MCD-run schools for giving a printed checklist of preventive measures against dengue.

“For the past few years, we’ve suggested to the authorities to provide phone numbers of the health officers on the yellow cards,” said the teacher.

To curb the spread of the disease, the civic agency has already cancelled day-off of its health department officials.

The number of dengue infected people Friday crossed 1,155. A total of three patients, all under 12 years, have died from the fever.