Protecting the vulnerable from monsoon diseases

We must initiate primary, preventive and public health initiatives at local level.

While much of India was reeling under intense and prolonged heat, the tiny northeastern state of Sikkim recently faced flash floods that left nine people dead and stranded 1,200 tourists. As India awaits the onset of the annual monsoon, past experience suggests the accompanying heavy rain not only causes the kind of flooding experienced in Sikkim but also throws up public health challenges.