The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India have launched a new campaign called “Haarega Dengue Haraenge Hum (We Will Together Defeat Dengue).” With changing climate conditions threatening lives, health, economic progress, and straining resilience particularly among the most vulnerable, the campaign in the launch phase will focus on educating school children and communities across Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh about how their actions can help prevent dengue. It will also encourage people to adopt habits that can reduce the spread of vector-borne diseases.
Warren Harrity, Acting Mission Director, USAID, said, “USAID works to increase the resilience of the health systems by focusing on identifying shifts in climate-sensitive, vector-borne diseases through surveillance and early warning; strengthening health system capacity to prepare and respond to climate events; and supporting the development and implementation of climate-smart health policies.”
Due to the changing climate, specifically a rise in temperature and rainfall, vector-borne diseases are becoming more prevalent, adding additional stress to the already overwhelmed health systems from the recent pandemic. The campaign aims to look deeper into how climate change affects the spread of infectious diseases and provide strategies to improve preparedness and build stronger and more responsive health systems in the country.
Yamashita Yuta, First Secretary (Health Attaché), Embassy of Japan in India, stated, “This collaboration for combating dengue represents a significant step in our shared commitment to global health and intensifies the Indo-Japan relationship. Dengue has emerged as a critical threat to public health globally due to the emerged climatic unpredictability and requires immediate address at local and international levels.”
Elaborating on the initiative, Annapurna Das, General Manager of Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India, added, “We are committed to this cause and will continue working with multiple stakeholders including the Government, NGOs, industry, academia and healthcare providers to support the vision of Dengue Mukt Bharat”.
Neeraj Jain, CEO, Centre for Health Research and Innovation (CHRI), said, “As 2024 is promoted as the ‘Year of Climate and Health Action,’ this partnership emphasises the need for innovative approaches to fight climate-sensitive, infectious diseases.”
The campaign was launched during the “Call to Action for Climate Sensitive Infectious Diseases: a Strategic Synergy Session”, an event organised by CHRI under the USAID-supported Sustainable Action for Climate and Health (SACH) Initiative.