Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Oct 30: Dakshina Kannada district will, for the first time in the state, try to increase the anti-Covid vaccinations in the state by using the children as goodwill ambassadors. The children will do their bit to convince their elders and other members of the family by writing letters which not only create awareness about the need to get vaccinated, but also provide information on the issue.
The state is witnessing a steep fall in the number of people opting to get vaccinated once the intensity of the disease became less. It is generally seen that the people who have been administered the first dose are reluctant to get the second. To handle this situation, the health department has planned to work in a unique manner to meet its goal.
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'Lasika Mitra' scheme in which the workers undertake door-to-door visits and vaccinate the people, has already been implemented in Karnataka. As the schools have started offline classes now, the department plans to make use of the children to undertake letter campaigns.
Dakshina Kannada is a district which witnesses large number of malaria and dengue cases. For bringing malaria under control, services of the school children had been used in the past. In addition to keeping the environs around their houses clean, awareness was created among them through competitions. The parents too had joined hands in the campaign. Now similar plan is being used in the case of anti Covid vaccination.
The concept of letter campaign was mooted by Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat chief executive officer, Dr Kumar, who says that the parents do what their children say. He says that by sending letters from the children to their elders, information can be spread and awareness can be created. He feels that the elders in the house will get inspired by the letters of the children.
Teams of doctors are visiting schools not only to create information about health condition but also to spread awareness about the need to follow Covid norms.