Bengaluru: Amid a surge in dengue cases in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday (September 11) said he has instructed officials to take all necessary precautionary measures to prevent spread of the vector borne disease and urged the people to give utmost priority to cleanliness in their neighbourhoods. In a Facebook post on his official page, he said more than 7,000 dengue cases have been reported across the state in the last few days, out of which more than 4,000 cases were from Bengaluru city alone.
Also Read: The Rise Of Dengue: Know All About The Causes, Symptoms And Measures To Stay Safe
CM Siddaramaiah said,
Spoke to concerned department officials about the rapid spread of dengue, instructed them to take all necessary precautionary measures. In Bengaluru city limits, effective measures are being followed for mosquito control including spraying of medicines, identifying places where water is stored and cleaning them.
“I request the public to give priority to cleanliness around the house and be careful about mosquito bites. Don’t be afraid of dengue, be aware,” the chief minister added.
On Friday, Karnataka Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao launched a disease surveillance dashboard and a mobile application for effective monitoring and curbing of dengue.
The dashboard, a disease forecasting software, has been developed in partnership with the Department of Health, Bengaluru municipal corporation — Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) — and the AI and Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK ) — at the Indian Institute of Science to assist policymakers and public health officials in preparing for outbreaks and managing disease control activities.
Also Read: Uttarakhand: Dengue Outbreak Sweeps Through Dehradun, Prompting Urgent Action
According to officials, the dashboard based on the Artificial Intelligence model can predict surge in infections four weeks in advance. It provides a map of outbreaks across Karnataka at the district and sub-district levels along with case trends across years.
A 4-week predictive risk map of outbreaks will also be made available to state and district officers. In addition to predictions, data from multiple sources is being standardised and streamlined for improved analysis.
Both the dashboard and mobile app are focused on dengue, to begin with, and the aim is to expand to additional diseases in the future, the officials had said.
The officials said the dashboard can be accessed only by the healthcare workers and health officials as of now and soon it will be made available for the public to view the latest data related to dengue cases in their specific jurisdictions.
The mobile app is also a linked application to the dashboard but it functions independently. As of now, the mobile app is piloted in BBMP jurisdiction. ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, medical officers, healthcare workers and spraymen will be using the application.
Also Read: Dengue, Chikungunya Cases Rise To 955 In Jharkhand
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
