THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a significant decision, the government on Monday finalised a year-long action plan to counter infectious diseases in the state in an effective manner. Earlier the government used to have pre-monsoon disease prevention action plan which many believed was not enough to check the increasing incidence of infectious and communicable diseases. There has been considerable increase in the incidence of dengue, H1N1 and viral fever during the recent years. The action plan titled "Jagratha" was finalised at a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and attended by his cabinet colleagues K. K. Shylaja, A. K. Balan, G. Sudhakaran, K. Raju , C. Raveendranath and K. T. Jaleel.
As part of action plan, special teams led by elected representatives of local bodies will visit all households in the state and take people on board for making garbage-free Kerala a reality. The plan will be put in place by departments of health, local bodies, revenue, water resources, KWA, labour , social justice, education, agriculture, animal husbandry, PWD, fisheries, ST development , food safety commission, railways, public relations department, home and law. The departments will carry out their programmes in a coordinated manner. Besides, state level committees will be constituted to monitor these activities.
At the district level, collectors and representatives of local bodies will be responsible for the implementation of the plan. Each district will have a minister in-charge. Ayalkootams, educational institutions and other establishments will be involved in the campaign. The meeting finalised detailed plan for holding workshops, evaluation committees, pre-monsoon cleanliness drives, mosquito source eradication, healthy campaigns and strong and immediate intervention in areas reporting outbreak of infectious diseases.
