The Tamil Nadu Health Department has stepped up surveillance in villages bordering Kerala in Coimbatore district following confirmed cases of West Nile fever cases in the neighbouring State.
Health officials said that the preventive measures started from Thursday.
The Kerala government issued an alert against the mosquito-borne viral disease on May 7, after the State reported one death and around eight cases of the infection in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Thrissur districts in the past few days.
Since Coimbatore district shares boundaries with Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala, the Health Department decided to step up surveillance measures in border villages, officials said.
“Regular fever camps are being conducted by mobile medial teams (MMT) in 12 blocks in the district on a regular basis. In the wake of West Nile cases reported in Kerala, MMTs have been instructed to check if persons, whom they screen for fever, have symptoms of the disease. Special focus is given in villages bordering Kerala,” P. Aruna, Deputy Director of Health Services, Coimbatore, told The Hindu.
High fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, stupor, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis are among the symptoms of West Nile fever, which is spread by culex mosquitoes.
As part of the fever surveillance, all hospitals have been told to report if they get fever patients who exhibit symptoms of the West Nile fever.
“Instruction has been given to all the government hospitals to report if they come across persons with West Nile fever symptoms,” said N.N. Rajasekaran, Joint Director of Health Services.
