Thiruvananthapuram: It is rough roads ahead for the state's health department with monsoon illnesses spreading and claiming lives across Kerala.
On Wednesday, six individuals lost their lives to fever in the state, taking the death toll to 38 in June alone. Of the viruses prevalent in the state, dengue and rat fever are the most common.
Those who succumbed to dengue on the day were Basheer (74), Kochukunju John (70), Arun Krishna (33) of Chavara, and Akhila of Mundukottackal.
The others who lost their lives to fever were Samad (18), an ITI student from Pezhakkappilly in Muvattupuzha, and Abhijith, a Class 5 student at St George UP School, Chathannoor.
Abhijith had been undergoing treatment at the Medical College in Parippally over the last three days and was shifted to Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, where he succumbed to the illness.
As per official data, 38 people have died of fever in the state so far in June alone. Of those, 22 deaths were caused by dengue. The majority of deaths have been attributed to dengue and rat fever.
Meanwhile, the number of people who sought treatment for dengue at government hospitals on Wednesday was 133. In addition, 298 fever patients in hospitals showed symptoms of dengue.
The number of confirmed dengue cases in Kerala this month stood at 1,168 till Wednesday, while 3,395 people sought treatment with symptoms of the disease.
The total number of fever patients who sought treatment in the state’s government hospitals till Tuesday, in June, was 1,74,222. Figures from private hospitals were not available, said officials.
Around 12,876 persons reached government hospitals complaining of fever on Tuesday, with the highest number of patients being recorded in Malappuram district (2,095), followed by Kozhikode (1,529), Ernakulam (1,217) and Thiruvananthapuram (1,156).
Incidentally, on average, only 5,000 fever patients sought treatment in government hospitals per day till a couple of weeks ago.
In order to tackle the situation, the health department has opened a fever monitoring cell. Private-sector hospitals have also been urged to join the state's fight against these illnesses.
