Punjab CM's new directive for flood-hit areas as fever, skin infections on rise

Chandigarh, Sep 16 (IANS) With fever, diarrhoea and skin infections on the rise in flood-affected districts, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday directed the Health and Family Welfare Department to intensify efforts for giving relief to the people in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

Chairing a review meeting here, the Chief Minister said the floods have caused irreparable damage in the various districts, and now, when the water has started receding, the fear of the spread of diseases amongst human beings and animals is there.

He said in the wake of this, the government is already making massive efforts to prevent the spread of disease amongst human beings and cattle.

Mann said so far, around 1.50 lakh people have benefited from the health camps where cases of fever, diarrhoea, skin infections and others are coming in huge numbers.

He said that a special health campaign was launched on September 14 to address post-flood health challenges with the key motive to ensure accessible healthcare in flood-affected villages, prevention of vector-borne, waterborne and communicable diseases, protecting vulnerable groups and strengthening disease surveillance and rapid response. He said the health camps have been organised in all 2,303 villages, adding teams of doctors, paramedical teams, and support staff equipped with essential medicines and consumables are serving the people.

Similarly, every ASHA worker is covering all households in villages, and so far, around 2.47 lakh households have been covered by them.

The Chief Minister said health kits are being distributed in the villages, which include ORS, mosquito repellent, paracetamol, cetirizine, chlorine tablets, soap, and basic first-aid supplies.

By September 20, every household will be covered.

He said a 21-day fumigation and vector control drive has been started with an aim to cover all villages across the state. Mann said door-to-door inspections for checking mosquito breeding are being done, and immediate larvicidal spraying wherever breeding is detected is being carried out along with daily village-wide fumigation.

--IANS

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