West Bengal Health Minister Dr Shardwat Mukherjee has suggested a redesign of school uniforms in an effort to protect students from dengue. Longer shirt sleeves can provide better protection to kids from mosquito bites, the health minister reportedly said, before adding that socks are not adequate to keep the vectors at bay. He appealed to all teachers and schools to adopt this arrangement during September, October, and November to help reduce dengue cases.
The development comes only a few days after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that there were close to 150 active dengue cases in the state and one person had succumbed to the viral disease. "Last year, we had around 7,600 dengue-positive cases, and this year the figure is just above 4,000. It is 50 per cent less during this particular time," Adhikari had told reporters at the health department headquarters, Swasthya Bhavan.
During a high-level review meeting at the Health Department headquarters, Dr Shardwat Mukherjee outlined several measures for the period when dengue transmission is expected to be higher, between July and December. It was decided to change the uniform guidelines for government schools in the state so that boys shall be advised to wear full-sleeved shirts and full-length trousers to school. Girls who usually wear skirts to school will be advised to wear clothing that fully covers their legs, a Hindi news report said.
This doesn't mean students will have to stitch new uniforms. According to the report, for three months, students should be allowed to wear full-sleeved clothing regardless of the school uniform code. Girls should be allowed to wear salwar suits that fully cover their legs.
Dr Shardwat Mukherjee also added that knee-length socks are incapable of stopping mosquito bites as they are not thick enough to stop proboscis penetration, allowing mosquitoes to bite through them.
The Health Minister said these guidelines are not permanent and an official circular on these temporary uniform changes for government schools is expected to be issued soon. While the government will also request private schools to adopt similar safety measures, the final decision will rest with their respective managements, he reportedly added.
West Bengal fights dengue menace
Chief Minister Adhikari had also announced that starting September 3, there will be three-day special cleaning drives conducted in areas of the municipalities under the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
"There will be special cleaning drives conducted at the 50-60 municipalities under the KMDA. Areas in Hooghly, Howrah, the entire North 24 Parganas, and a portion of Nadia and South 24 Parganas districts will be covered," he said, adding that NGOs and the police will be participating in the drive.
He further said that during the special drive, fogging machines could be used in consultation with health experts and doctors, but only in limited numbers.
