Hepatitis A is to Kalamassery as dengue fever is to Payipra. Even as the district is in the grip of dengue, with 93 suspected cases reported in a month, Hepatitis A has come back to haunt Kalamassery again, as four new cases were reported on Monday, taking the total number of cases this month to 11.
Besides, one leptospirosis and two H1N1 cases were reported on the day.
Majority of the 77 Hepatitis A cases reported in the district last month were from Kalamassery. The district administration-led squad had closed down most of the wayside eateries as the source of the viral infection was yet to be identified. The virus spreads through the oral-fecal route in unhygienic conditions.
However, many of the street food vendors are back in business.
According to District Surveillance Officer Dr. Jayashree, efforts are on to control the “sort of” dengue outbreak, especially in Payipra. However, the source reduction activity has become difficult owing to waterlogging in certain areas.
In the month of May, as many as 385 suspected dengue fever cases were reported, and 47 of them were confirmed. The cumulative number of suspected cases this year till now is 878, of which 102 have been confirmed.
