Rising deaths from fever force Kerala govt to launch a 3-day clean-up drive

With more and more cases of deaths from fever being reported from different parts of the state, the Kerala government last week launched a three-day cleaning drive in all the districts to rid them of trash that serve as breeding grounds for deadly parasites and vectors.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spearheaded the campaign in Kannur while his other ministerial colleagues led the drive in other districts.

The campaign saw participation from NGOs, social organisations, NCC Scouts and Student Police Cadets, among others.

A report in The News Minute quoted the chief minister as saying,

The three-day campaign has started today. The campaign will be held with the help of local governments and incorporating NCC, scouts, student cadets and other students. Requesting help in this mission, we have sent letters to educational institutions and hospitals. The whole state has to come together in this mission.

Stressing the need to undertake cleanliness campaigns in the state at regular intervals, health experts these measures should have come much before the monsoon hit the state.

An official from the Directorate of Health Service told The News Minute,

H1N1 and dengue are one of the biggest concerns in the state now. Apart from that, about 80 percent of fever cases also come under contagious diseases, which are all a result of lack of cleanliness. Kerala’s health issues will not be solved by the three-day clean-up campaign. We should have been prepared to deal with monsoon diseases earlier.

Though it had been raining heavily all over the state over the past few weeks, that did not deter the state government from going all out with the cleanliness drive.

Do you have an interesting story to share? Please write to us at [email protected]. To stay updated with more positive news, please connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.