SANITATION AWARENESS PROGRAMME: (07.09.2017)
Dengue disease presents highly complex pathophysiological,
economic and ecologic problems. Global incidence of dengue has drastically
upped in the last few years. India also saw a doubling up of cases of dengue
from 2014 to 2015. 2017 isn't expected to be any better and this has become a
cause of concern for the country.
The
National Service Scheme of Kongu Engineering College organized a
"SANITATION AWARENESS PROGRAMME" in association with doctors of Erode
Government Hospital, in which awareness on dengue fever was provided.
The session
commenced at 11 a.m. About 90 volunteers made their presence to this awareness
programme. A video was presented to the volunteers which depicted the life
cycle of Aedes Aegypti
(the causative agent of dengue fever) , symptoms reflected due to this fever.
Later Dr. Prasanna started his speech explaining recent scenario of dengue in
India. He noted that dengue virus is
transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected mosquito. These mosquitoes are easily
identifiable by the distinctive black and white stripes on its body. It prefers
to breed in clean, stagnant
water easily found in our homes. When a mosquito bites a person who has dengue
virus in his or her blood, the mosquito becomes infected with the dengue virus.
An infected mosquito can later transmit that virus to healthy people by biting
them. He said that the adult lifespan of the Aedes aegypti mosquito can range
from two weeks to a
month depending on environmental conditions.
He
stated that typically people infected with dengue virus are asymptomatic (80
per cent) and only 5 percent have severe illness. Also he listed the early
signs of dengue such as high fever, joint pains, headache, nausea, appetite
loss, vomiting, dip in blood pressure which would perpetuate with a
characteristic skin rash. Then he also noted a point that though mostly the
fever doesn't last beyond a week, some cases may develop more critical and pose
life threatening danger. The latter situation is characterized by a drop in the
level of blood platelets, blood plasma leakage or a severely low blood
pressure. He also added that these symptoms show within the first 2 to 4 days
of dengue's commencement.
Later he mentioned certain precautions to be taken to minimise the chance of getting infected with the lethal viral disease such as reduction of number of mosquitoes by improved water storage, proper waste disposal, and regularly checking water stagnancy, using mosquito repellents on exposed skin and using air conditioning instead of opening windows,etc.
Finally Dr.Prasanna asked the
volunteers to raise their queries regarding the programme. After that he gave
certain suggestions to the sweepers of our college regarding the cleanliness,
which may avoid causing dengue fever in and around the college. The NSS
volunteers posted their queries to him and he answered them. The session ended
by 12:30 p.m.
