The Health Department appears stretched as surveillance is stepped up to control the dengue situation in Puthupadi and Mukhom and prevent the spread of malaria along the coast at Elathur, where sensitisation efforts are not working beyond a point.
Malaria, dengue and diarrhoea have combined to engage the department in a battle against diseases this monsoon. Health officials said the occurrence of diphtheria in the neighbouring district of Malappuram has added to the concern in Kozhikode, especially when the border areas are seen to be vulnerable to a spread.
In areas such as Elathur and Puthupadi, efforts to prevent the spread of malaria and dengue respectively could be sustained better if the local self-government establishments chipped in with their workers for sensitisation and identifying mosquito breeding sources, they said.
While a team from the National Centre for Disease Control’s Kozhikode branch is set to carry out a study of the dengue situation at the highly dengue-affected Puthupadi on Tuesday, efforts are on at Elathur to prevent any further occurrence of malaria.
Tight vigil
Under the supervision of the Puthiyappa Primary Health Centre, mosquito nets are being used to cover wells in Elathur, as these were found to be breeding spaces for the anopheles mosquitoes that transmit the malaria-causing parasite. “The PHC and its eight sub-centres are on a tight vigil across Elathur. We do not have a fresh case of malaria. And, mercifully, we have not had a dengue case so far,” medical officer of the PHC, Sonia, said on Monday.
Fever surveillance has been stepped up and any case symptomatic of malaria is tested with kits that can be deployed on the field, she said.
Around 100 nets have been procured to cover nearly 400 wells in Elathur.
