Uttar Pradesh Will Eradicate Encephalitis Completely Soon: Chief Minister

Gorakhpur: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday (October 3) that due to the coordinated efforts of different government departments, Uttar Pradesh will see the complete eradication of encephalitis from the state soon, and an announcement to this effect will also be made by the state government shortly. CM Yogi described the control of encephalitis as a successful model for the country and the world. The Chief Minister made the statement while launching the Special Communicable Disease Control Campaign at BRD Medical College. He said,

The state government has been conducting special campaigns to control communicable diseases like dengue, malaria, encephalitis, kala-azar, and chikungunya since 2017. These campaigns have yielded good results over the past six years.

CM Yogi started the campaign, which will run until October 31, by flagging off public awareness campaign vehicles. Additionally, he honoured two ASHA workers and two Anganwadi workers for their excellent work. He also provided Ayushman cards to four beneficiaries of the Ayushman Yojana, according to a press release from the Chief Minister’s office.

Notably, the government conducts special campaigns for communicable disease control three times a year through inter-departmental coordination. The current campaign, which runs from October to January, includes a 15-day program in the first phase aimed at raising awareness and facilitating inter-departmental coordination.

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The Chief Minister further explained that from October 16 to 31, ASHA workers will go door-to-door as part of the ‘Dastak Abhiyan’ to identify and provide appropriate treatment to patients in every household.

CM Yogi mentioned that Uttar Pradesh has the highest population in the country, and the state, especially eastern UP, was severely affected by encephalitis before 2017.  He said,

Before 2017, 500 to 600 patients were admitted to the BRD Medical College alone on average annually during this season, whereas 1,200 to 1,500 children used to die across the state every year. Encephalitis caused 500 to 600 child deaths in BRD Medical College alone. However, now the disease and the deaths caused by it are on the verge of becoming part of history.

CM Yogi emphasised that when the government is determined and people come together, even seemingly incurable diseases can be eradicated quickly. Encephalitis is an example of this.

It should be noted that Bareilly, Badaun, and its surrounding areas of the Central North faced outbreaks of dengue and malaria, while Bundelkhand suffered chikungunya. Dengue also had a significant impact on Firozabad, Mathura, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Varanasi. Kalazar affects regions from Varanasi to Kushinagar and areas adjacent to Bihar, the press release stated.

The Chief Minister said,

All these challenges were daunting for the healthcare system. However, through inter-departmental coordination involving departments like the municipality, panchayati raj, women and child development, primary education, and disabled welfare, the situation improved significantly. The results are evident for everyone to see today.

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The Chief Minister emphasised the importance of cleanliness in cases of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). Various programmes for cleanliness and a tap water scheme in every household are being implemented. He said,

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Swachhajanli program was conducted across the country on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. This was the greatest tribute to Bapu because cleanliness was his dearest subject. He knew that diseases caused by dirt weaken a person’s abilities and strength.

The Chief Minister stated that for the construction of a strong and self-reliant India, cleanliness is crucial. In line with this objective, the Prime Minister initiated the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on October 2, 2014. As a result, there has been significant awareness about cleanliness among the people. The Chief Minister added,

Today, every household has access to a toilet. The emphasis on cleanliness is being reinforced through bans on plastic and various other programs.

He further appealed by urging everyone to make cleanliness a part of their lives.

CM Yogi said that at present, while dengue is wreaking havoc in various states of the country, it is under control in UP as a result of the communicable disease control program. CM Yogi said,

Through this campaign, extensive public awareness is being raised, and ASHA workers, health professionals, and paramedical staff are working together to run health awareness programs. If all departments work together, good results will surely be achieved.

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The CM mentioned,

Along with controlling communicable diseases, we also need to heed PM Modi’s call to completely eradicate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025. For this, all public representatives, doctors, paramedical staff, and ordinary citizens should become a part of the campaign led by the Health Department by taking care of TB patients in their neighbourhood.

He informed,

The government is providing medicine, dosage management, and various other facilities for this purpose. If we can provide these services to those in need, it will be a great service to humanity, society, and the nation.

On this occasion, MP Ravikishan Shukla, Kamlesh Paswan, Mayor Dr Mangalesh Shrivastav, MLA Mahendrapal Singh, Vipin Singh, Pradeep Shukla, MLC Dr Dharmendra Singh, CMO Dr Ashutosh Dubey, and the Principal of BRD Medical College, Dr Ganesh, were prominently present.

Along with inaugurating the Special Communicable Disease Control Campaign at the medical college, the Chief Minister also inspected the dengue ward at the medical college. He gathered information about the health of admitted patients, the release stated.

During the program held at BRD Medical College on Tuesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performed the Annaprashan (feeding ceremony) of small children, providing them with nourishment and giving them gifts along with plenty of love and blessings. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also performed the baby shower ceremony of pregnant women and gifted them nutrition kits, according to the release.

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(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 – theLGBTQ 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 currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) 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, fightmalnutrition, 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 likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.