The reporting of 43 cancer cases from under a single primary health centre (PHC) has prompted district medical authorities to launch a probe into the incidence at Purakkad near here.
District Medical Officer K.M. Sirabuddin, who visited the area and interacted with some of the patients on Monday, told The Hindu that reports on the rising number of cancer cases in the area had prompted him to carry out a preliminary inspection. The Thottappally PHC, which covers a population of about 18,000, had records of 43 patients, 32 of whom were women.
“Eleven of these women have breast cancer while there are 10 men who have various types of cancer, and there is one child too. That is why we have decided to investigate the matter,” Dr. Sirabuddin said.
All the 43 cases are from the Purakkad panchayat, from Wards 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 17, and most of them have been under treatment for the last three years. The area is known for its ‘kari' paddy fields and the occurrence of cancer in the region has given rise to another concern — that whether the high incidence of cancer cases reported and studied in the Kuttanad region last year is now slowly spreading along the paddy belt of the district.
In Kuttanad, the Kainakary panchayat in particular, had reported a large number of cancer cases, prompting a survey which covered 8,091 people from 1,809 houses in the seven wards of the panchayats.
The survey found that 91 deaths, making up for 27 per cent of the total 334 deaths in the seven wards from July 2004 to July 2009, were due to cancer. This prompted a Central team's visit to the region and though reasons for the incidence were not pinpointed, the State government announced a comprehensive cancer control plan for the State.
Plans were drawn involving public-private partnerships and incorporating lifestyle changes, including tobacco control. But whether these have reached the grass roots remains to be seen.
In the Alappuzha municipal area too, a survey early last year identified 1,500 possible cancer cases. The survey was part of the first phase of the district administration's cancer control programme, Jeevan Jyothi, taken out under the People's Plan programme from June 2009. ASHA volunteers conducted the survey till January 2010, covering 40,000 houses and 1.5 lakh people and 1,500 people who had various symptoms of cancer were identified. While 112 of these were from Kommadi, 107 were from the Nehru Trophy Ward and 79 were from the Kaithavana area.
On the Purakkad incidence, Dr. Sirabuddin said the Community Medicine wing of the Alappuzha Medical College would be requested to conduct a study, only after which a conclusion could be reached upon.
