Presence of the fatal type-3 dengue virus in a patient afflicted with dengue fever has sent alarm bells in the public health sector of Pathanamthitta.
District Medical Officer A.L. Sheeja told The Hindu that the Health Department had taken every possible step to combat the dengue spreading in the district ever since the onset of monsoon.
The dengue type-3 virus infection was confirmed in a patient who was undergoing treatment at the Pathanamthitta General Hospital. The patient was shifted to a private medical college in Kochi for advanced medical care, the DMO said.
“The type-3 dengue infection is a more serious case and we have to take extra care to check the infection spreading and active people’s participation should be ensured in the efforts,” Dr. Sheeja said. She added that local self-government institutions had to play a key role in mosquito-source reduction drives in the district.
Official sources said all the four types of dengue virus infections had been found in the district. The presence of the type-3 virus was confirmed in the blood test conducted at the Public Health Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram.
Severely affected areas
With little respite in the monsoon, the number of dengue fever cases continues to soar here over the past three weeks.
According to the DMO, Vallana near Aranmula, Elanthoor, Konni, Pathanamthitta municipal limits, Vechoochira, and Ranni have been identified as the worst-affected areas in the district.
Dr. Sheeja said a total of 199 clinically confirmed dengue cases had been reported from different parts of the district as on Thursday. However, only one casualty owing to dengue had been reported from the district during the past five months, she said.
Leptospirosis
Dr. Sheeja said the increasing number of leptospirosis cases in the district was another major public health concern.
She said a total of 69 leptospirosis cases had been reported from the district as on Thursday. The district also reported two dengue deaths in the past five months, besides two other suspected cases of death, she said.
Dr. Sheeja said most of the leptospirosis cases had been found in workers attached to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Kudumbasree Mission, who work in waterlogged areas.
Callous dumping of waste in public places and clogged canals had made many parts of the district safe breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents.
Polluting fresh-water sources with waste from chicken stalls, slaughter houses, hotels, and markets had become a major public health menace in Pathanamthitta.
It is high time the district administration and the local self-government institutions initiated effective punitive measures to contain the pollution problem, Kurien Oommen, senior medical consultant, said.
