The Centre has chalked out a massive plan to fight communicable diseases by scaling up some existing pilot programmes and introducing new measures, especially to control vector borne diseases like malaria.
The Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs), one of the vital interventions suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to protect people from malaria, have been very successful in Orissa and the North-Eastern States in reducing the mortality from Malaria. The Centre has now decided to scale up the programme by extending it to more States, sources said.
Likewise, Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) and Artemisinin based Combination Therapy (ACTs) will be expanded to cover more areas. A massive awareness programme/campaign/jagran yatra will be launched for spreading general awareness about hygiene and sanitation before the onset of monsoon, sources in the Health Ministry said.
“Zilla Parishads, particularly standing committee Chair persons of Education, Public health and Sanitation will be involved in prevention and control measures against vector borne diseases under the National Rural Health Mission. Untied funds provided under NRHM for Village Health and Sanitation Committees, PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals will henceforth be utilized for prevention measures against mosquito-genic conditions in their respective jurisdictions,’’ said an official.
In urban areas, Corporations/Municipalities will be made stakeholders in this campaign. Immediate steps will be initiated for covering overhead water tanks in public and private buildings before the onset of monsoon every year. Research and development efforts will be strengthened to address issues like resistance to insecticides and drugs, he added.
In the case of tuberculosis, concerted efforts will be made to improve case detection rate in 100 identified districts where case detection is less than 50 per cent to raise it to 70 per cent by 2012. Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is emerging as a major public health problem in the county and shall be urgently addressed, sources said.