As many as 60 peer leaders under the Socially Smart Bhubaneswar initiative have been provided orientation and training by the National Health Mission (NHM) officials on prevention of malaria, dengue and diarrhoea (MDD). These peer leaders or Rs Pragati Sathis’ will take up leadership at community level to clean the slums to prevent vector-borne diseases.
In view of the monsoon season, orientation of the 60 peer leaders (Pragati Sathis) were taken up at PHC- Satynagar and IRC Village by NHM officials. The objective of the meeting was to orient these leaders on various aspects of vector-borne diseases with focus on MDD. The officials through pictures and slides showed the young boys and girls how vector borne diseases spread and what can be done to control their spread especially in rainy days. They were also told about the various symptoms of the diseases and the need to aware people to immediately rush the affected ones to the health centres.
These youths will now be organising meetings at their community level and sharing the leaflets received from NHM. They would also start moving in and around their slums to ensure that there is no accumulation of water that can create a breeding space for the mosquitoes in future.
As dengue has become a menace across all urban settlements in India, preventive awareness on the disease by these youth leaders would help in controlling its reporting.