Awareness campaign on lead poisoning soon

BANGALORE: Recognising the importance of lead poisoning, the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India in collaboration with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) plans to create a massive state-level awareness programme across the state.The programme, which is expected to begin in October, aims to involve NGOs, gram Panchayats, health and education department and bureaucrats to create local leaders to spread awareness on lead poisoning. Supported by NRHM for the infrastructure facilities, the programme envisages the training on managing the waste, prevention of lead poisoning, creating awareness of lead poisoning and methods of safe disposal of waste containing lead.In the absence of lead clinics in major cities, one of the main missions besides creating lead poisoning awareness, is to set up at least one lead clinic in every district to screen, advise and provide medication. The centre aims to cover the entire country by 2012 and it has already started in Kerala.Speaking to The New Indian Express, principal advisor, Quality Council of India and Director, National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India (NRCLPI) Dr Thuppil Venkatesh said that the programme, which will be extended to all the states, is being supported by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The centre is in talks with the mission director and it is expected to begin in the month of October.After receiving a phenomenal response from Kerala, where the programme was launched last month, Karnataka is second in line to witness a similar workshop and later, the same would start in Andhra Pradesh.The centre is focusing on the grass-root level and on creating local leaders in every district, to spread awareness about lead poisoning, Venkatesh said.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, 15 to 18 million children in developing countries are suffering from permanent brain damage due to lead poisoning. Hundreds of millions of children and pregnant women in practically all the developing countries are exposed to high levels of lead.