Dengue, flu, rat fever grip Kerala; 13,000 seek treatment in govt hospitals

Thiruvananthapuram: With the arrival of rains in Kerala, the state is reporting a rising number of communicable diseases.

According to official data, 12,984 people sought treatment for fever in government hospitals alone on Monday. Over 1,61,346 people sought treatment for fever in the first 19 days of the month.

Dengue

Meanwhile, the number of persons who died of dengue in the past six months rose to 68 on Monday. Two people died of dengue in Malappuram, which also recorded the highest number of cases, on Monday.

This month, 1,008 people were affected by the disease. The death toll has risen to 16. Ernakulam has also reported a rising number of dengue cases. The Health Department has warned the public to exercise caution in light of the recent deaths.

Rabies

In three weeks, 77 people have been diagnosed with rabies while 116 people had the symptoms of the disease. 27 people succumbed to the illness.

Flu & rat fever

While 41 people died of flu symptoms, a total of 68 rat deaths were reported this year. Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Kottayam and Malappuram districts have reported a high incidence of rat fever cases. 

Malaria

It is also concerning that malaria, which was considered endemic, is being reported in many districts. On Monday, one person was diagnosed with malaria in Malappuram and two in Karukachal and Ramapuram in Kottayam district. 27 people have been infected with the disease this month.

Government inaction

The efforts of the state government to limit the spread of these communicable disease have not been satisfactory so far.

The government has merely advised the public to destroy the source of mosquitoes and take doxycycline before entering contaminated water. There has been no efforts on the part of local bodies  to eradicate rats. There are no emergency plans calling for the immediate eradication of mosquitos or removal of rat-infested garbage dumps either.

The health department is not updating data on the number of patients affected and the number deaths on its website in a timely fashion despite the rapid spread of infections in the state.

The figures published are usually a day late.

Minister Veena George has informed that effective measures have been taken to deal with contagious fever.