After Nipah, Kozhikode battles leptospirosis; toll reaches 14

After Nipah, Kozhikode battling leptospirosis; toll reaches 14
Though the impact of the flood was comparatively less in Kozhikode, the maximum number of leptospirosis deaths are reported from the northern district.

Kozhikode: The district that lost 17 lives to Nipah virus recently is now battling leptospirosis. The post-flood outbreak of the disease claimed 14 lives till Saturday evening. Though the impact of the flood was relatively low in Kozhikode, the maximum number of leptospirosis deaths are reported from the district.

The outbreak seems to be severe in the district compared to the previous year when only two deaths were reported, with 161 suspected cases. In 2017, 80 deaths were reported due to leptospirosis in the state.

Four more people died in Kozhikode on Saturday due to leptospirosis, confirmed district medical officer (DMO) V Jaishree. The were identified as Andi, 60, of Meppayur; Sivadasan, 61, of Mukkom; Krishnan, 56, of Pokkunnu; and Radha, 64, hailing from Nallalam. Three of them died at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) while Radha died at a private hospital.

Five people – Haseena, 31, Kinassery; Kumar, 52, Thambalamanna; Rajesh, 38, Moodadi; Surendran 67, Asokapuram and Vishnu, 22, Naduvattom; died on Friday in the district due to leptospirosis.

Medical college principal VR Rajendran convened an emergency meeting of the heads of the departments of community medicine, medicine, and infectious diseases at his chamber on Saturday to review the situation. As per the directions of Labour and Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan, 15 NRHM staff nurses have been specially deployed at the MCH.

The isolation wards, formed during Nipah outbreak in the district, and converted into 'fever' wards would continue amid the spread of leptospirosis and other communicable diseases.

Representatives from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are camping in the state and reviewing the situation post flood. “The leptospirosis outbreak was expected post flood, and precautionary measures are being taken. There is no panicky situation in the state for now. Things are under control,” said one of the officials from the team, who is camping in Thiruvananthapuram.

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