The Madurai administration has conducted a total of 2,114 fever camps between July 2 and July 20 in rural areas apart from those in the corporation limits. Collector T. G. Vinay said on Wednesday said that they have focused on panchayats with high population density.
The district administration had conducted fever camps mostly through mobile units in rural areas and the coverage has been stepped up in July.
“The Health Department keeps count of fever cases or those who exhibit influenza like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) symptoms through a census. We monitor out-patients who come to Primary Health Centres, General Practise Clinics and nursing homes. We ask them to visit fever clinics if symptoms persist,” he said.
With testing having been ramped up, the Collector says that in the last 20 days, they have screened 99,818 patients through mobile units in rural areas between July 2 and July 20. Out of them, a total of 6,196 patients who have exhibited COVID-19 symptoms have been tested.
Apart from them, 47,867 persons have been screened at Primary Health Centres (PHC) and 1,388 have been tested, he said.
A majority of positive cases in Madurai’s rural areas are from Madurai West and Tirupparankundram blocks, he said. In the last week, four positive cases from Melur block have been recorded. Although many cases from Usilampatti were initially recorded in May and June, the numbers have come down since, he added.
“After analysing the source of information in rural areas, we found that most positive cases are usually contacts of those who are positive. On other occasions, the positive index cases are frontline workers. These include doctors and health workers who travel to other areas for work,” he said.
Dr. Vinay said that the number of people voluntarily getting tested at fever camps in rural areas has starkly increased as the administration has partnered with panchayat presidents in mobilising those with fever symptoms.
“This has worked well. We have several dengue breeding checkers who visit door-to-door to ask if there is anyone with symptoms of COVID-19. Since testing is far more accessible at PHC and test results arrive quickly, more people are using the facilities provided by the government now,” he added.
