KHAMMAM: In a major achievement, Khammam, unlike previous years, has managed to keep seasonal diseases at bay this time. Thanks to Covid regulations and back-to-back lockdowns, the district has not reported even a single case of dengue or malaria since March 2020. The cooperation of the denizens also deserve a special mention as they worked hand in hand with the authorities and followed all regulations.

When Express interacted with a health official, he could not help but express his astonishment over this rare achievement. According to official data, the district had reported as many as 1,972 dengue cases last year, of which most cases were reported from the urban areas. When it recorded 25 cases in last May, 39 were reported during June and 12 during July last year.

Though Khammam recorded as many as 20 dengue and four malaria cases from January to March this year, no cases have been reported since then.All credit for this achievement goes to a team of district authorities, led by Collector RV Karnan and Municipal Commissioner Anurag Jayanthi, who implemented a foolproof action plan to secure their limits.

As part of the action plan, the health staff and the local body authorities were kept on high alert and were also directed to carry out back-to-back sanitation drives. Meanwhile, the sarpanches and corporators were told to oversee the implementation of all programmes in their limits. During this, the authorities identified about 546 villages and 74 urban colonies as high-risk areas and focused on them, as a result of which they succeeded in creating awareness among the denizens on the necessity to take precautions. Khammam Municipal Commissioner Anurag Jayanthi visited each and every area on a regular basis and monitored all works, including sanitation drives.