The Health Department is closely watching the health and sanitation conditions in the relief camps opened in various coastal districts following the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Ockhi.
The Director of Health Services said on Monday that a team would visit all relief camps in the State to ensure proper hygiene and sanitation and to see that there was no outbreak of any water-borne or vector-borne diseases.
In Thiruvananthapuram, though 14 relief camps had been opened on November 30 with some 2,000 persons seeking refuge, on Monday only 580 people were housed in four relief camps.
In Thrissur district, Kodungalloor and Vadanapally are two of the places badly affected. Nearly 700 families were housed in several relief camps in both places, where sea had encroached some one km or more onto the land.
In Vadanapally, all piped water supply sources had been damaged and providing safe drinking to the people was a major requirement. Local bodies are working hard to to restore piped supply.
“In the current situation, the threat of leptospirosis and water-borne diseases is high and hence we have started awareness campaigns. Directives have been given that doxycycline be started as a prophylaxis for all fever cases, to be on the safe side,” Additional Director of Health Services (Public Health) K. J. Reena, said.
On Monday, a high-level meeting was convened by Health Minister K. K. Shylaja to review the conditions in the relief camps.
It was pointed out that those rescued from sea were being given excellent medical care at Government Medical College Hospital and the General Hospital. All arrangements were in place to conduct post-mortem and to release the bodies to the families, while unidentified bodies were being kept in the freezers. Medical care was available round-the-clock in all relief camps.
Psychological support
Meanwhile, the Health Department has also drawn up a State-wide psychological support plan and to provide individual counselling to those who were rescued from the sea and grief counselling to the families who had lost their dear ones.
Pharmacotherapy would be initiated for those who had anxiety, post-traumatic stress or depression . Group therapy was being planned for those who were rescued from sea after a huge ordeal.
