JEDDAH: More than 12,000 inhabitants of Jeddah’s southern Sharafiyah district have been enlightened about dengue fever thanks to an awareness campaign jointly organized by the Jeddah municipality and the local Health Affairs Department, which is under the Ministry of Health. About 30 Indian volunteers living in the district volunteered for the campaign since most of the residents of the area are Indian.
Director of the municipality’s Department of Crisis Management, Abdul Ghaffar Azhari, said audio-visual presentations on the disease carrying mosquitoes and the development of the dengue fever were made during the campaign in addition to the distribution of pamphlets in Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu and Bahasa.
“The campaign was part of the ongoing Jeddah Ghair festival and is aimed at raising the awareness of people against the hazards and causes of the dengue fever,” he said.
Azhari said during the campaign, sweets and other gifts consisting of token pens and rulers were distributed.
He said the activities of the campaign also included drawings for gifts and a painting competition for children.
Azhari said he hoped that the campaign would result in the creation of a community that is well versed about the dengue fever, including measure to eradicate where mosquito larvae develop. Mosquitoes use standing water as incubators for their offspring. Such pools of water include domestic sources, such as the condensation collector under refrigerators and water that collects under leaky air-conditioning units. Mosquitoes spread the virus that causes the potentially fatal fever.
