The district so far does not seem to be confronting any alarming public health problem, but the numbers of those suffering from various diseases could be rising, according to the statistics from the District Health authorities.
However, it is not a time to be complacent, believe Health officials who are preparing for an onslaught of communicable diseases once the Monsoon showers set in completely. Out of the total of 29 cases of dengue reported in the district from January, 10 have been reported in June.
Rain water mixed with garbage and an uncontrolled vector index becomes an instant source of breeding ground of many diseases.
At present the District General Hospital does not show any increase in fever cases. On Monday, there were seven people admitted with fever and the OP has about 35-40 cases every day. Till recently the peripheral areas had reported an average of about 500 fever cases every day. On Monday, there were 919 cases of fever and 733 on Tuesday.
The records show some sporadic cases of communicable diseases. Except for diarrheal diseases which continue to be reported on an average of 75 cases a day, most others seem to be reported in ones and twos.
Fever clinics
The Health authorities will be opening up fever clinics in all government hospitals and wards providing mosquito nets will be marked in each hospital.
The directive was issued by the District Medical Officer in a meeting of all superintendents of government hospitals held in Aluva on Tuesday. The migrant workers will be screened at their camps for malaria and other diseases, said Haseena Mohammed, DMO-in-charge. A vector control unit is active even at night to take a survey, said Dr. Haseena.
Medicines available
Medicines are available in all hospitals, she said. If there is any shortage, the medical officer in-charge should get it through the funds made available through the hospital management committee or the RSBY funds, she added.
Various communicable diseases have been sporadically reported from various parts of the district. Seventy cases of typhoid were reported from January to June 10 while 332 cases of chicken pox were reported during the period. Other diseases that have a knack of spreading if not cautious, like the dengue fever, leptospirosis, malaria and H1N1 have been reported but were not concentrated in any particular area.
Hepatitis A and B continues to be reported regularly, the first being a water-borne disease and the other transmitted via sexual interaction or unhygienic use of blades in hair cutting salons.
To keep away the water-borne diseases, the water used for domestic needs should to be chlorinated and drinking water should be boiled. Personal hygiene and practices are important to keep away the disease-causing microbes. Washing hands before taking food and after using toilets are most important to keep microbes away.
