Kerala shivers under monsoon fever wave

KOCHI: Despite a late monsoon, the spate of fever, diarrhoea, H1N1, malaria and dengue cases reflect the state of health and hygiene in Kerala. Over two lakh cases of fever were reported in June alone. The data collated by the directorate of health services showed that in addition to fever, 636 cases of dengue, 37,853 cases of diarrhoea and 116 malaria cases were reported in June.
Health officials are concerned over the sudden spurt of such cases as the department is yet to fully collate the numbers. The retirement of several senior officials, fresh appointments to these posts and transfers of doctors have affected the coordination among officials.
On Wednesday, Alappuzha registered 130 diarrhoea cases. Alappuzha DMO said that 700 cases were registered from June 24-30. In neighbouring Kottayam, malaria cases rose to 25 and majority of the cases were among migrant workers. In Kozhikode district, 18,000 fever cases were registered at the outpatient wings of government hospitals in June. Dengue cases were reported from Mukkom and Feroke grama panchayat limits.
But, the health department said that there was no need to panic since the government's monitoring teams have been tracking cases reported in small private hospitals, where many cases are reported first. Additional director of health services Dr Ramesh, who is in charge of public health, claimed that the situation was under control.
The state chapter of Indian medical association (IMA) has asked its members to monitor the situation and organize fever clinics and medical camps to diagnose patients early, said president Dr Srijith N Nair, adding that such clinics are being held in places where more cases of dengue are reported. "A workshop on fever protocol was organised on Wednesday. We are working with the government machinery," he said.
Meanwhile, the Indian academy of paediatrics (IAP) has asked parents not to send children to school if they are unwell. "We don't want them to infect others and the children need rest to recuperate," said IAP Kochi president Dr M Narayanan, adding that people should drink boiled water, consume warm food and ensure hygiene. IAP state president Dr T M Anandakesavan said that a couple of cases of H1N1 deaths among children is a serious issue.
In Kozhikode, the health department has sought the help of Kudumbashree Mission and National Service Scheme (NSS) to create awareness to bring down communicable diseases. The members will begin house visits from July 4 for a period of two months for effective preventive measures. Some private hospitals in the district have started free fever clinics with IMA's help.
"The number of dengue and fever cases has come down in Mukkom Feroke grama panchayat limits due to the joint efforts taken by the Kudumbashree, health and ASHA workers. The number of dengue cases has doubled compared to previous years. We have decided to carry out fever survey and medical camps among migrant labourers on July 5 and July 12," said additional DMO Dr Piyush Namboodiripad.
Unlike other district, Ernakulam is yet to report a single death due to communicable disease. "Our pre-monsoon programme was effective and we have a lot of hospitals. Despite having a 50,000 migrant population, our staff is continuously monitoring them and ensuring that they are given constant medical attention," said DMO Dr M K Kuttappan.
(With inputs from Jaikrishnan Nair, Sajimon PS and Sreedevi Chitharanjan)