Encephalitis awareness drive in Siliguri schools

SNS, Siliguri, 27 July 2014: Sarba Siksha Mission (SSM), Siliguri Educational District, is scheduled to launch an awareness drive on encephalitis in schools in the Siliguri sub-division from tomorrow.
As the disease has already claimed over 100 persons in north Bengal, the administration has come up with an idea to involve school students in the awareness campaigns.
The SSM campaign is set to cover more than 300 primary and high schools in the sub-division that will be provided with posters and leaflets related to the disease and its spread.
"The leaflets and posters will highlight the necessary steps to be taken to prevent the disease and what one should do if the disease strikes. It will be basically the ‘Dos and Donts’ on the matter. Around 30,000 leaflets would be distributed, while the posters and leaflets have already been handed over to the block development officers to be distributed in schools," administrative sources said. The leaflets and posters have been printed in four languages--Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Urdu and English. Darjeeling district magistrate Puneet Yadav, in a review meeting on encephalitis in Siliguri on 23 July, had said awareness campaigns would be launched in schools too.
For Siliguri sub-division, health experts say it is very important to make people aware of the disease in the blocks. The district project officer of SSM, Siliguri Educational District, Saptarsi Nag, said the parents and guardians of students will also be aware of the disease through their wards.
"Schools are an affective medium to spread awareness on the issue. Parents would be aware through the students and this will help reach out to a maximum number of people," said Mr Nag.