With the city witnessing a spurt in dengue cases, Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre on Wednesday joined a new campaign here to create awareness about the disease.
Named after an 12-year-old girl Payal Samariya, the “Fight Dengue For Payal” campaign includes awareness drives at Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to educate families about dengue and its prevention and school contact programmes.
Actress Bendre, who has an eight-year-old son herself, said she is concerned about the well-being of children and Indian families.
“As a mother, I do not want children like Payal to suffer from diseases like dengue. Dengue can happen to anyone at any age, and it is us who have to take preventive measures to fight this disease. Let us all come together with Payal to fight against mosquito-borne diseases and help protect our families,” she said.
Payal, the “hero” of the programme saw her friend suffering from dengue, a painful experience that inspired her to be a part of this campaign.
Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI) along with pest-control major SC Johnson has put togeter the campaign to combat the increasing cases of dengue.
Between September and November, the programme partners plan to implement the initiative in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.
A total of 466 cases have been reported this year in Delhi till date with 304 cases in September alone.
Number of dengue affected patients visiting hospitals are increasing day by day in the city.