Fifteen new and confirmed cases of dengue fever and 20 suspected cases have been reported from various parts of the district.
Health officials here said on Friday that almost all cases were reported from the corporation wards, prominently, Aruvikkara, Muttakkad, Nemom, Ayurveda College, Karikkakam and Peroorkada.
One confirmed case of Chikungunya was reported from Beemapally while two leptospirosis cases were confirmed from Kodunganoor and Vallakkadavu. About 1,430 new cases of fever were reported in the district from the outpatient clinics in various hospitals while another 100 fever cases were admitted in hospitals.
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Health officials said control activities including cleaning, sanitation and source reduction were being carried out in a systematic manner and that health squads had visited several hundred houses in various parts of the city under the SAFE initiative to ensure that there were no vector breeding sites around houses and also to check that garbage was not being disposed of in an unhealthy and unhygienic manner by households.
Leptospirosis
With leptospirosis cases trickling in, the DMO has issued an alert that people should take care to avoid contact with contaminated water and that treatment should be sought for any fever that did not subside in a reasonable time with common drugs and supportive measures like increased fluid intake, nutritious food and good rest.
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Walk-in interview
The walk-in-interview, called at the office of the DMO on Friday, to take in additional cleaning staff on a temporary basis for hospitals in the district, had to be called off by afternoon, as some people whose names figured in the rank list of Employment Exchange secured a court order against temporary appointments.
The interview was arranged following a decision announced by the Health Minister that additional human resources — including doctors, nurses, lab technicians and cleaning staff — will be appointed in hospitals in all districts to ensure that the day-to-day activities in hospitals are not affected because of staff shortages.
Nearly 300 people turned up for the walk-in-interview for 30 posts of cleaning staff for the district, which are temporary appointments for a period of three to six months.
However, by afternoon, the interview had to be called off as those in the rank list reached the venue with the court order, forcing the officials to disperse the crowd.
Health officials said the court order had effectively blocked the prospects of appointing temporary cleaning staff in any of the districts.
The DMO had called for a meeting to review the fever control and prevention activities being organised in various Assembly constituencies in the district, with the participation of the MLAs.
However, these meetings would be called constituency-wise later, as not all MLAs could attend the review meeting on Friday, the DMO said.