Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan said here on Wednesday that the government would take strong steps to prevent the spread of contagious fever and other diseases.
The Chief Minister told the media after Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting that with intermittent rains, various diseases were spreading in the State. The government was taking measures including mosquito-control to check the outbreak.
Mr. Achuthanandan said that the local self-governments would undertake a week-long drive with public participation for mosquito-control and removal of waste materials. Meetings would be held at the panchayat and municipal levels to organise the drive.
Health inspectors and public health nurses are directed to concentrate on preventive measures. They would be exempted from other duties.
Official reports indicate that about 10,000 people are reporting at hospitals across the State every day with fever and other symptoms.
They included cases of Influenza A (H1N1), dengue, leptospirosis and malaria. On Tuesday alone, five people died, three of them because of A (H1N1).
