Schools in Erode district have been told to remove mosquito-breeding sources, keep water tanks covered and run weekly health-awareness sessions as officials intensify efforts to prevent dengue and other infections.
The instructions were issued at a review meeting of headmasters on Thursday at the Collectorate, chaired by District Collector S. Kandasamy. Schools were asked to prevent water from stagnating, clear containers that can collect rainwater and keep campuses and surrounding areas clean.
Each school is to designate a teacher to monitor the measures and organise regular sessions on handwashing, personal hygiene, safe drinking water and cleanliness. Overhead and underground tanks should remain properly covered, while bushes and unwanted vegetation are to be cleared.
District Health Officer P. Aruna briefed participants on how dengue, malaria, scrub typhus, leptospirosis and other infectious diseases spread, and how to reduce risk. Students who develop symptoms such as fever, headache, body pain, vomiting or diarrhoea should be taken to the nearest government health facility for examination and treatment. They should stay home while symptomatic.
The meeting also stressed HPV vaccination for girls aged 14 to 15, with headmasters asked to help ensure eligible students receive it. The Collector called for the School Education and Health Departments to coordinate their preventive work. District education officers and officials from other departments also attended.