Community Activities

As a part of the Anti-Rabies drive the students from DYPU School of Public Health, participated in the five-day high-intensity vaccination drive conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to vaccinate stray dogs. The vaccination drive which continued from 26 February 2024 to March 1, 2024, was also partnered by Worldwide Veterinary Services-Mission Rabies. The drive focused on the areas that share borders with Mumbai namely Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Palghar. Vaccination of 26,951 dogs under the pulse anti-rabies vaccination drive was conducted. Various Civil Society members, dog feeders, volunteers, and community leaders participated in the week-long drive which also focussed on raising awareness among the communities on the prevention and spread of rabies. Research has established that the most effective long-term rabies control strategy is through the vaccination of dogs in endemic areas. Hence intending to be an important stakeholder in strengthening mass vaccination of dogs and increasing education programs – protecting both the human and canine populations, students of DYPU School of Public Health used their training as public health professionals to participate in the Anti Rabies Drive. Out of the total, three students were entrusted with the task of accompanying the vaccination team and analysing the collected data to provide trends in the vaccination status of the dog population within geographical boundaries. The other group of students (nine in number) volunteered to raise awareness in the communities on rabies primarily in school children, slum dwellers, dogowners, and dog lovers. Various verbal, written, and visual communication methods were used to burst the myths surrounding

rabies and understand canine behaviour. The communities were also sensitised on the scientific measures to be taken in case of a dog bite. The representative from Mission Rabies not only provided certificates of participation to the students but also acknowledged the role of the School of Public Health in providing skill-based and practical training to the students.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women globally. Therefore, early diagnosis is crucial in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with breast cancer. Since screening with a mammogram every year is expensive and involves radiation, NIRAMAI developed a novel medical device to detect breast cancer at a much earlier stage than traditional methods or self-examination. The device Thermalytics is a low cost, accurate, automated, portable cancer screening tool that can be operated in any clinic. This procedure of screening is radiation free, non-touch, not painful and works for women of all ages. This unique solution is being used as a cancer diagnosis test in hospitals, for regular preventive health checkups, and for large scale screening in rural and semi-urban areas. The School of Public Health in collaboration with NIRAMAI Bangalore organised a training session for breast cancer screening for the students. Before starting the training sessions doctors from NIRAMAI educated the students on the epidemiology of breast cancer and the various preventive approaches to the same. The use of device Thermalytics was demonstrated to the students by the laboratory technicians from NIRAMAI, followed by hands on training session.