WHO Praises Dharavi Model To Contain COVID-19 Spread

The World Health Organisation on Friday praised Mumbai's slum Dharavi for its measures to combat and control the COVID-19 infection.

"In the last six weeks, cases have more than doubled," the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media release. He added that "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".

"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," the Chief said.

"In & & even in Dharavi, a densely packed area in Mumbai, a strong focus on community engagement & the basics of testing, tracing, isolating & treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission & suppressing the virus"-@DrTedros

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 10, 2020

Dharavi is Asia's biggest slum spread over 2.1 sq km, and over 7 to 10 lakh people stay and work here.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) then thanked the WHO for acknowledging 'Mission Dharavi' along with Mumbai citizens.

Thank you @WHO for acknowledging #MissionDharavi where we partnered with citizens to #ChaseTheVirus from one of the most populous blocks of the city

With your guidelines & Mumbai’s community efforts, we will beat #COVID19 one block at a time by Tracing-Tracking-Testing-Treating https://t.co/UoGfACgxmQ

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) July 10, 2020

According to the WHO chief, the world recorded 12 million cases on Friday.

 

He continued: "Across all walks of life, we are all being tested to the limit. For those in poverty, with little or no access to quality health services, it’s not only COVID-19 that threatens lives and livelihoods.

"Other diseases like measles, polio and malaria all thrive when immunization is paused and supply chains for medical supplies are interrupted.

"WHO continues to work with partners to ensure that the poorest and most marginalized are prioritized.  

"That means restarting routine immunization and ensuring that medical supplies reach health workers across the world.

"There’s a lot of work still to be done.

"From countries where there is exponential growth, to places that are loosening restrictions and now starting to see cases rise. 

"We need leadership, community participation and collective solidarity.

"Only aggressive action combined with national unity and global solidarity can turn this pandemic around, the WHO chief said.