The Health department is gearing up to tackle yet another monsoon season and the accompanying phenomenon of infectious diseases outbreaks. At a high-level meeting convened by the Health Minister here on Wednesday, all districts were asked to strengthen disease surveillance and reporting.
The State is bracing mainly against vector-borne diseases such as dengue and leptospirosis which have begun to show an upsurge in almost all districts, with Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kollam and Thrissur leading in case numbers. Dengue cases have been steadily rising since the past one month across the State.
Districts have been asked to strengthen field-level surveillance and outbreak monitoring and to promptly report cases of viral fever so that preventive measures can be strengthened in the locality. Measures taken at the district-level should be communicated to the State for review and further action.
The meeting also reviewed the situation at hospitals where fever clinics have been opened. Medical college hospitals have been asked to open special fever/infectious diseases wards and allocate ICU beds for fever cases. Hospital authorities have been asked to ensure that staff shortage is not an issue and ensure that all necessary drugs, consumables, test kits and protective gear are available in adequate quantities. The meeting directed hospitals to keep extra stocks of doxycycline and oral rehydration salts. Hospitals have also been asked to review medicine stocks periodically.
The meeting pointed out that focussing on disease prevention, especially strengthening vector control measures, is the only way in which vector-borne diseases such dengue or Zika or chikungunya can be checked. However, the control measures can be successful only if vector control measures are scrupulously taken up by individual households.
It was pointed out that vector breeding was increasing inside as well as outside homes. Refrigerator trays, indoor potted plants and so on were found to be primary sources in indoor vector breeding.
Rainwater stagnation should be prevented in the premises of houses to check vector breeding. Source reduction activities should be taken up at the grassroots level with the cooperation of local bodies. Water stored for household purposes should be covered and stored.
The meeting also stressed on encouraging those engaged in farming and cleaning activities to take doxycycline as prophylaxis to prevent disease contraction.
