New Delhi, (IANS) Publishing house Katha Monday organised a dengue awareness rally in south Delhi in association with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to disseminate information about the disease that claims scores of lives in the capital every year.
Starting at Katha Khazana, Katha’s community initiative in Govindpuri, the rally went on to cover the entire area, sensitising people about the symptoms of dengue fever and the preventive measures.
Jamila of Katha Khazana, who participated in the rally, said that such awareness campaigns are an absolute necessity, especially among the poorer sections of society such as those living in the slum area of Govindpuri.
“Community people want more such awareness building campaigns to happen in Govindpuri. When people saw us, they actually thought that there is a dengue outbreak again. They listened to us carefully and promised to follow the precautions,” Jamila said.
As one the biggest slum clusters in south Delhi, Govindpuri is one of the high-risk areas for the occurrence and spread of dengue.
“We discussed the need for cleanliness and informed the community about the symptoms of dengue such as high fever, rash, severe headache and muscle and joint pain. The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month,” she added.
The Katha representatives discussed with people safety tips such as drying water coolers once a week, covering all utensils and changing the water in the flowerpots and distributed pamphlets and posters.
The rally proceeded through the narrow lanes of the area with children wearing masks and dressed as mosquitoes. They also carried placards and shouted slogans to generate awareness.
The organisation also carried out a similar rally in Tughlaqabad area too.
Last year, 65 people lost their lives to the mosquito-borne disease. In 2006, 3,366 people were affected by dengue, while 206 have been affected this year.