Health activists and volunteers will visit every house in Karassery grama panchayat in Kozhikode district in the coming days in view of six students and one teacher from an aided higher secondary school at Anayamkunnu being diagnosed with H1N1 flu.
This was decided at a meeting attended by District Medical Officer V. Jayasree, grama panchayat representatives, and other Health Department officials on Thursday. Urgent meetings would be held in all wards. Anyone with fever symptoms has been directed to approach health activists.
All educational institutions in the panchayat, including anganwadis and madrasas, will remain closed on Friday. Karassery grama panchayat president V.K. Vinod urged the residents to avoid travelling and assembling in public places.
Health Department sources said that over 200 people were under observation now and there were no new cases. They suspect that the infection might have spread from a teacher who had visited a religious place outside Kerala and returned. She was one of the first to show the symptoms, it is learnt. A 24-hour call centre (0495 229 7260) had been opened at the community health centre (CHC), Mukkom.
Fever clinics
There will be fever clinics at the CHC, Karassery Primary Health Centre and the Anayamkunnu school.
Amar Fettle, State nodal officer for H1N1, said that people should cover their face with a hand kerchief or a piece of paper when they sneeze or cough as the airborne infection might spread up to one metre distance otherwise. Spitting in public places should be avoided. Washing hands after going out to public places was a must, he said. Dr. Fettle said that doubts about the disease could be clarified with the Disha helpline number 0471-2552056.
Meanwhile, health camps were launched at eight places in the panchayat, including one at V.M.H.M. Higher Secondary School,
Dr. Jayasree told the media that there was no reason to panic as no one had been admitted as in-patient in hospitals.
Those diagnosed with flu were in category A with mild symptoms. “They should take complete rest after taking medicines. Those with symptoms can reach the health camps and collect medicines,” she said. Symptoms of H1N1 was reported among around 40 students last Friday. It spread to 150 other students and teachers in the next five days.
