This story is from July 18, 2019

As dengue cases rise in Doon, DMC to fine people for keeping stagnant water

As dengue cases rise in Doon, DMC to fine people for keeping stagnant water
Dehradun: Following the detection of at least eight dengue cases in the city, Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) has decided to impose penalties on people who keep stagnant water in and around their homes and do not maintain proper cleanliness leading to breeding of mosquitoes. Speaking to TOI, Kailash Joshi, DMC chief health officer, said that DMC has already identified the areas from where all the cases have been reported and will soon send its officials as well as Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers to the areas to inspect the sanitation levels.
“Our officials as well as social workers will visit the areas from where these cases have been reported. Our teams will also conduct an inspection at places where water-logging has been reported. If stagnant water or dirt is found around the place, then the concerned persons will be fined and slapped with notices,” Joshi said.
DMC has also decided to conduct a massive spraying exercise across the city, especially in the places from where the cases of dengue have been reported, the official added. “We want to prevent the dengue larvae from breeding and therefore fogging and spraying will be done across the city. Our focus, however, is the area from where the dengue cases have been reported and therefore, we have decided to undertake massive fogging and spraying in and around 500 metres of these areas,” Joshi said.
City residents however alleged that fogging, spraying and other such preventive measures should have been started weeks before to stop breeding of mosquitoes. “These steps should have been undertaken before the onset of monsoon or in the first week of July, but the DMC gets into action only after few cases emerge,” said Ashish Rawat, a resident of Vasant Vihar.
Denying the charge, Joshi said that the DMC has been conducting such drives well before monsoons, and now, more effective measures will be taken to check the spread of mosquito-borne viral infection in the future.
Commenting on the issue, Subhash Joshi, district malaria officer, told TOI, “We have informed all pathology labs and private hospitals to alert the health department if they find any positive dengue cases. Health staff will contact the affected family and inform them about the measures to be taken to check the disease.”
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