UP govt to run campaign against H3N2 virus spread across state

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 18 : Amid the rising concerns about the H3N2 influenza, the Uttar Pradesh government will kickstart a drive to prevent the spread of diseases like meningitis and the H3N2 virus across the state.
According to an official statement, on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Directorate of Urban Bodies has issued directions to all Municipal Commissioners, General Manager Jalkal Department, and executive officers/officers in charge of all Municipal Councils in connection with the special campaign, which is scheduled to kick off from April 1 to control communicable diseases, and the Dastak campaign.
The department has issued guidelines for time-bound action in relation to the spread of meningitis and the H3N2 virus.
"Notably, the Yogi government will launch a special campaign against infectious diseases like encephalitis, dengue, chikungunya, malaria and kala-azar in all 75 districts of the state from April 1. The Communicable Disease Control Campaign is run in three phases every year. This year, the campaign's first phase will end on April 30," the statement said.
The government is also preparing to tackle the challenge of infectious and water-borne diseases through the 'Dastak' drive.
In the guidelines issued by Neha Sharma, director of the Directorate of Urban Bodies, it has been said that the elected public representatives of the urban bodies and mohalla monitoring committees should be informed about meningitis and other vector-borne and water-borne diseases as well as diseases related to hot weather (heat-related).
"Apart from this, fogging will be done in urban areas (all bodies) whereas intensive vector control and sensitization activities will be conducted at the places mentioned in the list of high-risk areas provided by the Health Department. Together with this, the bye-law governing legal action will also have to be enacted against the persons/institutions generating mosquito-borne circumstances," it said.
The statement further said that an awareness campaign is suggested to be run in the urban areas to promote environmental and personal hygiene measures, no open defecation, use of pure drinking water and prevention of mosquitoes and prevention and control of AES / JE and other infectious diseases.
"Instructions have also been given to regularly check OT tests, bacteriological and viral tests, chemical tests, H25 tests, etc. for the quality of pure drinking water," it added.