ranchi in the wake of unseasonal rain the state health department has decided to begin a statewide surveillance for vectorborne diseases to stop diseases like malaria dengue and chikungunya md of national health mission jharkhand shailesh chourasia issued letters to all civil surgeons and district vectorborne disease officers to launch the drive soonkeeping in view the lockdown which has been initiated to contain the covid19 outbreak most of the population is at home leading to an increased use and storage of water especially in areas with poor water supply in such conditions there are possibilities of outbreak of vectorborne diseases which include malaria dengue and chikungunya you are directed to take immediate measures to start surveillance and ensure proper vector control and environment management measures in place the letter readthe state vector borne disease cell has swung into action directing all the districts to start a simultaneous surveillance of all patients who are getting screened for covid19speaking to toi state entomologist sagya singh said we have enough rapid testing kits to detect patients suffering from vectorborne diseases and we have started distributing them in the districts singh added antimalarial drugs are available with all districts and they have been directed to provide enough stock to all surveillance teams in order to ensure immediate intervention in case of detection of any patientthe state vectorborne disease cell has also directed a few local bodies to carry out antilarval fogging in order to eliminate breeding spots and to start awareness campaign in their respective areas