PM reviews status of Chickungunya, Dengue

New Delhi, Nov 2 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today reviewed the status of dengue and chickungunya and instructed the Union Ministry of Health to restructure the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and transform it into an 'early warning system' for the outbreak of epidemics.

''The programme should be made accountable for any failure in this regard,'' he said while chairing a meeting of senior officials of the Ministries of Health, Urban Development, Drinking Water Supply and Panchayati Raj.

The Ministry of Health was also asked to issue regular health alerts and health bulletins to create public awareness so as to enable preemptive action being taken both at the community and the household levels.

Dr Singh instructed that funds under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme and National Rural Health Mission should be utilised both for premptive public health intervention at the community level and for undertaking sanitation and disease prevention programmes.

He complimented the media for playing the role of an early warning system. In this context, he urged the media to play a positive role by creating public awareness and desist from creating panic in the community.

The Prime Minister called for the observance of one day as a ''National Cleanliness and Public Health Day'' in which community level action can be taken to prevent epidemics and ensure proper sanitation and cleanliness in public places and within houses.

The meeting was attended by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi, Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K A Nair.

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