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Following the unprecedented rains in Maharashtra in the last week of July, the Centre has mobilized teams of medical experts and drugs to assist the Government of Maharashtra in meeting the situation that may arise due to vector borne or water borne diseases. The Centre has taken steps to strengthen the public health measures initiated by the State Government and has dispatched a team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to Mumbai to assist and monitor the situation in the affected areas.
The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss today had a discussion with the Chief Secretary and Secretary, Health of Maharashtra about the situation. The Minister is constantly reviewing the situation with senior officials of the Centre and the State.
A high level team headed by Additional Director General Health Services and Director, NICD, Dr. Shiv Lal and the Director of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme is leaving for Mumbai tomorrow.
The NICD team which arrived in Mumbai yesterday visited Kalyan, Dombivli Municipal Corporation, one of the six urban municipalities within the district of Thane and one of the most affected areas. The public health measures in the wake of floods which have been formulated by ICMR have been given to Maharashtra Government for wide dissemination. A team from the National Institute of Virology, Pune has also joined the NICD team in Mumbai. The NICD team is looking into reports of suspected leptospirosis in Kalyan.
The State Government had requisitioned certain critical items such as bleaching powder, halazone, chloroquine, doxycycline, IV fluids, ORS and other antibiotics which have been dispatched. Additional requirement made by the State Govt. for doxycycline, crystalline penicillin and diagnostic kits for leptospirosis and dengue are being met immediately.
Three water treatment plants of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) capable of purifying 10,000 liters of water per day have been airlifted from Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai and have been handed over to the State Government. Two more water treatment plants of higher capacity are being procured by the Indian Red Cross Society. IRCS has also dispatched 5000 family kits consisting of temporary shelters, clothes and utensils for families who have been rendered homeless.
EK/MK
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