WHO Cites Dharavi as Example for Effectively Controlling COVID-19

Early intervention, screening and isolation measures are being credited for Dharavi’s turnaround

There have been no COVID-19 related deaths in Dharavi in the first week of June.

(Photo Courtesy: The Quint/Kamran Akhter)

The World Health Organization on Friday, 10 July, took the example of India's biggest slum Dharavi, to show that it was possible to bring coronavirus outbreaks under control despite the spike in cases during the past six weeks.

According to an Agence France-Presse report, during a virtual press conference in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "In the last six weeks, cases have more than doubled. 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.”

"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," he added.

The central government had also praised the Mumbai civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for their proactive measures that resulted in a reduction in the growth rate to 1.02 from 12 per cent, between April and June.

Early intervention, screening and isolation measures are being credited for this turnaround by senior BMC officials.

The average number of COVID-19 cases recorded per day also dropped to 27 in the first week of June as opposed to 43 in May 2020. On 8 June, 12 new cases were recorded in the area and 13 new cases were seen on 7 June. On 9 June, however, there were 26 new cases and 2 deaths.