Last year, when cholera cases were detected among migrant labourers at Mavoor in Kozhikode district, Health Department staff were reportedly taken unawares. Though swift steps ensued to bring the situation under control, the initial time lag in responding to the crisis has had its impact on the activities later, claim a section of health staff.
To avoid a similar situation this year, a workshop for field-level health staff was organised at Cherooppa recently, in association with the Community Medicine Department of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.
Ajeeba P.P., postgraduate student at the medical college, who presented a paper at the workshop, said the health staff should be on a high alert to identify the symptoms of diseases which were once successfully eradicated from the State for their timely diagnosis and proper treatment.
Citing the example of the rise in cases of malaria, filariasis, and leprosy in the State, Dr. Ajeeba said that migrant labourers were often found to be the carriers. “Leprosy is even reported among students,” she said.
According to sources in the department, 11 migrant labourers sought treatment with cholera symptoms in the last six months in the district and five of them were diagnosed with the disease. The number of people with filariasis is close to 150.
Caution
Dr. Ajeeba pointed out that our country was also ripe for the emergence of diseases such as yellow fever. “The mosquitoes spreading the disease is here and the climate is also favourable for an outbreak. We need to be careful about the transportation of its virus from any other country,” she added.
In this context, primary diagnosis of the disease would be crucial to prevent any outbreak, Anu Mohandas, Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, said.
Dr. Mohandas, who presented a paper on surveillance, pointed out that the health workers should be trained to not only detect symptoms of diseases, they should also be able to find out those who would likely to develop symptoms. “If there are symptoms such as fever and cough for over a certain number of days, the health activists should be able to detect it as early signals to prevent it from spreading,” she added.
The participants also stressed the need to intensify ward-level health committees to ensure hygiene.
