WHO Lauds Dharavi's Success For Arresting Covid Spread; Know How India's Largest Slum Curbed The Virus?

Dharavi, India's largest slum has 166 active cases. Know how was the crisis managed so effectively in an area where physical or social distancing is near impossible to maintain.

File Photo: PTI.

New Delhi: Dharavi, one of the largest slums of Asia was a hotspot for Covid-19 when the pandemic hit. Since then, with aggressive testing and contact tracing the area has given excellent results of recovery and has reported 12 cases on Friday. The World Health Organisation acknowledged the success of the steps followed in Mumbai's Dharavi to contain the coronavirus and lauded India's efforts for taking quick steps to stop the community engagement and breaking the chain of transmission. ALSO READ|World Continues To Reel Under Covid-19 Attack As WHO Reports Record Spike Of New 2.28 Lakh Cases In Last 24 Hrs The total number of infected cases in Dharavi now stands at 2,359. Dharavi currently has 166 active cases and 1,952 patients have been discharged from hospitals following recovery so far. WHO Chief lauds India's efforts for breaking the chain at Dharavi WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the examples of Italy, Spain, South Korea, and India's biggest slum showed that however bad an outbreak was, the virus could still be reined in through aggressive action. "In the last six weeks cases have more than doubled," Tedros told a virtual press conference in Geneva. However, "there are many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak is very intense, it can still be brought back under control," said Tedros. "And some of these examples are Italy, Spain, and South Korea, and even in Dharavi -- a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai -- a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus." Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray described the WHO chief's remarks as "huge for our very own Dharavi that has chased the virus". He urged the state government, BMC, NGOs and other representatives to keep following the path to success.

This is huge for our very own Dharavi that has chased the virus. State Govt and @mybmc teams, along with NGOs, Elected Representatives and most importantly, Dharavikars! Let’s keep this going! Thank you @WHO for recognising their efforts, and will keep going on https://t.co/RSVGILaoLo

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) July 10, 2020

  How India's largest slum Dharavi curbed the spread of Covid-19? Dharavi is spread over spread over 613 hectares and comprising of single or multi-storey houses located in narrow lanes, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with over 3.6 lakh people per sq. km. Eight to 10 people live together in 100 sq ft dwellings. About 80% of the residents use community toilets. Homes and factories coexist in single buildings lining the slum's narrow lanes. Most people are informal daily-wage workers who don't cook at home and go out to get their food. Then how did the largest slum in the financial capital break the chain of coronavirus spread? Since the first case was reported on 1 April, there were as many as 491 positive cases with a doubling period of 18 days. In May, the area saw 1,216 cases with over 56 deaths. In June, however, Dharavi reported zero deaths to the pandemic. The case doubling time improved to 43 days in May and 78 days in June. The scale of the measures put in place - a mix of draconian containment, extensive screening, and providing free food to an out-of-work population - has been extraordinary. Municipal officers traced, tracked, tested, and isolated aggressively to halt the spread of infection. At the heart of this has been the screening effort, involving fever camps, doorstep initiatives, and mobile vans. The early door-to-door screening by workers in sweltering personal protective gear was not sustainable when the weather turned hot and muggy. The fever camps At each camp, a team of half-a-dozen doctors and health workers in protective clothing screen up to 80 residents every day for temperature and blood oxygen levels using infrared thermometers and pulse oximeters. People showing flu-like symptoms are tested for the disease on spot. Those who test positive are moved to local institutional quarantine facilities, a bunch of schools, marriage halls, sports complexes. More than 10,000 people have been put into quarantine so far. If their condition deteriorates, patients are moved to the public and three private hospitals in the area. .According to a health worker in one of the camps, People turn up voluntarily and want to get tested on any pretext. She said that sometimes people will inflate their age to qualify for testing for high-risk elderly people. Sometimes they will want to get tested because they sat next to someone who coughed or sneezed. There's a lot of fear and awareness. But officials believe they have been able to contain the infection at a time when it is picking up speed elsewhere in Mumbai and other hotspot cities. The relatively low death toll is possibly explained by the overwhelmingly young population of the slum - most infected people have been in the age group of 21 to 50 years. And to make sure the harsh containment worked, free meals and food rations have been provided to residents trapped at home without work and income. People came forward to help Dharavi Private doctors have joined the fever camps. The cash-rich municipality, politicians, and non-profits provided tens of thousands of free meals and rations. Bollywood actors and businessmen donated gear, oxygen cylinders, gloves, masks, medicines, and ventilators.