Gurgaon schools take steps to protect kids from vector diseases

Apart from conducting fogging, many schools have also told students to wear full-sleeve uniforms.

Private and government schools are taking preventive measures to protect their students from mosquito-borne diseases. Apart from conducting fogging, many schools have also told children to wear full-sleeve uniforms and are educating them about viral infections.

Over 59 cases of dengue and 22 cases of chikungunya have been reported in Gurgaon. (HT Photo)

Over 59 cases of dengue and 22 cases of chikungunya have been reported in Gurgaon.

“Government school officials have been asked to check water accumulated in any part of the school and remove it. Children are also being educated about symptoms of vector-borne diseases and precautions against them. Other activities, including fogging, are being conducted in the schools regularly,” said Neelam Bhandari, district education officer (DEO), Gurgaon.

The DEO added that fogging is also being conducted in private schools too with the help of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG).

On their part, private schools have sent emails and made phone calls asking parents to make sure their children wear full-sleeve clothes, including school uniforms, while leaving home. They said while students are provided mosquito repellents in school, they can contract the diseases while travelling too.

“An advisory had been sent to all parents at the beginning of the monsoons about the different threats persistent in the season, as well as the measures and precautions that must be taken to keep them at bay… we had also planned for a separate monsoon uniform, which includes full-sleeve shirts and full pants,” said a spokesperson of Shiv Nadar School.

Avishek Roy, head, community outreach, Vega Schools, said, “Some of our students have fallen prey to viral fever, but no case of chikungunya or dengue has come forward. We are conducting deep cleaning of the campus every weekend to ensure that there is no breeding ground for bacteria or insects. As the school does not have uniforms, we are ensuring that children (wear clothes that) cover their body. Mosquito-repellent creams are also applied to students when they come to school.”