Madhya Pradesh Government& Godrej Consumer Productsunveils a new multi-city public awareness initiative to fight malaria and dengue as part of the EMBED Programme

 Bhopal : To tackle the growing threat of mosquito-borne diseases, the Madhya Pradesh state governmenthas extended its partnership with Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) to unveil a new public awareness campaign focused on preventing malaria and dengue in four cities including Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior.This initiative is a part of Madhya Pradesh’s government programme – Elimination of Mosquito-Borne Endemic Diseases (EMBED), supported by Godrej Consumer Products Ltd and Family Health India (FHI). EMBED is an ongoing strategic effort aimed at reducing malaria and dengue cases and lowering the death rate to zero through a multipronged approach.

The public awareness initiativecomes at a crucial time, when the occurrence of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and malaria significantly increases. Effective use of repellents and public awareness are vital to prevent outbreaks and controlthe spread of mosquito-borne diseases. As part of the campaign, a video has been released highlighting preventive measures, symptoms to watch for, and the importance of seeking timely medical intervention. Through this campaign, Madhya Pradesh state government and GCPL aim to equip citizens with the knowledge needed to protect themselves and their families from potentially life-threatening mosquito-borne diseases.

The public awareness video, produced by the Madhya Pradesh state governmentand supported by GCPL, will be released across Madhya Pradesh in four cities including Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior. Screenings will take place in 20 government offices, 10 government hospitals, and at 20 major traffic signals, ensuring broad exposure across four cities. Additionally, the video will be circulated across WhatsApp groups of government officials to further expand its reach. With this wide distribution, it is expected that around 35,000 people will view the video daily, greatly enhancing its impact. The strategic placement of the video is designed to target high-traffic areas, ensuring the message reaches a diverse segment of the community. The campaign will be live till the end of December, 2024.

Dr. Himanshu Jayswar, Deputy Director, Directorate of Health Services, Madhya Pradesh, said, “We are proud to extend our partnership with Godrej Consumer Products’ yet again for an initiative part of EMBED program, planned to fight the mosquito-borne diseases spike during the ongoing monsoons. The vigilant efforts of both public and private organizations are crucial in upholding public health. Proactive prevention is key to controlling any epidemic, and this awareness campaign across Madhya Pradesh will play an essential role in educating our citizens about preventing malaria and dengue. Together, we can reduce the incidence of these diseases and safeguard our community’s health.”

Speakingabout the collaboration, Gayatri Divecha, Head – Sustainability & CSR, Godrej Industries Group, said, “Since 2015 we have partnered with the Madhya Pradesh state government to fight vector borne diseases. Together, this partnership has enabled Madhya Pradesh to move from Category 3 to Category 1 state in malaria elimination. However, the spike of dengue, malaria and chikungunya cases continue to rise during monsoons. In our joint efforts we have found that prevention is our best tool to fight. We aim to shed light on simple yet effective preventive measure everyone can take to protect themselves. The public awareness campaign is centred around an easy to share medium like video that is simple to understand and reach thousands of people across Madhya Pradesh.”

Launched in 2015, EMBED has significantly impacted malaria and mosquito-borne disease control in India, reaching 2.7 million households across 39 districts, including 3,000 slums and 10,000 villages. Till date, the program has positively impacted the lives of 28.4 million people from economically vulnerable and marginalized backgrounds.

A successful collaboration between GCPLand the Madhya Pradesh government has led to an 89% decline in malaria cases in the last 5 years with EMBED intervening in ~45% of the highest endemic zones in the state during this period.Overall, the programme has helped 5,225 villages out of 11,000 intervention villages become malaria-free across India.Moreover, the programme has observed 65% reduction in dengue cases in FY 2023-24.

Our intervention in urban Madhya Pradesh, targets districts such as Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Rewa, Morena, and Vidisha, particularly focusing on densely populated slum areas that are highly susceptible to dengue outbreaks. The project reaches 1,601 slums, covering 2,61,589 households and impacting a population of 24,84,237 people. Additionally, 1,816 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers have been trained to educate communities, diagnose cases, refer fever cases to the nearest health centers and facilitate treatment. Initially focused on Madhya Pradesh, EMBED programme has also expanded to Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, aiding in malaria elimination efforts.