Kerala to form local committees to strengthen epidemic prevention

Kerala will establish coordination committees at district and local levels to strengthen prevention of epidemic diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Health Minister K. Muraleedharan announced the decision after an epidemic review meeting on Monday.

District Collectors will chair the main committees, while local bodies will form grassroots groups involving councillors, panchayat members, residents’ association representatives and health workers. The committees will identify dengue hotspots and intensify mosquito-control activities. Officials will also prepare an action plan to prevent water stagnation after intermittent rains and remove potential mosquito-breeding sites.

Under the proposed schedule, educational institutions will observe Dry Day on Fridays, workplaces on Saturdays and households on Sundays. The plan will be developed in consultation with the Local Self-Government Minister. The meeting directed authorities to follow the epidemic calendar, strengthen fever clinics in areas reporting increased cases and open new clinics where necessary.

District Medical Officers and District Programme Managers will meet in the coming days to review activities at the grassroots. The Principal Secretary for Health has been asked to take the steps required to establish the committees. Health officials and representatives of the Kerala Centre for Disease Control and government medical institutions attended the review.

The measures are intended to make prevention more regular and coordinated across local bodies. The authorities will use the committees to monitor activities, identify problem areas and support mosquito-control work in communities.