Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday asked people to take precautions and be alert as the state was witnessing a sudden spike in fever cases. After holding a meeting with the officials of the state health department on Tuesday, she said a monitoring cell would soon be made operational for the constant evaluation of the situation in different regions of the state, as reported by news agency PTI.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, that was held to take stock of the situation and assess the preparedness, George said extra vigil should be maintained amid the spread of dengue fever and leptospirosis in many districts.
So far, fever cases have been reported in districts such as Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam. George said seven dengue deaths and 27 due to 'rat fever' (leptospirosis) was reported in the state during the January-June months this year, reported the agency.
According to the minister, there was no specific increase in the number of fever cases or related deaths in comparison to previous years. However, she said, as quoted by PTI, "But, the efforts of the health department are to avoid any deaths due to fever.”
In order to ensure speedy and effective treatment to the affected people, district-level health facilities and systems will be further strengthened.
She said the maximum number of cases will be attended at the district-level facilities to avoid any problems in the smooth functioning of the medical colleges and ensure there is no overcrowding in the hospitals.
After the meeting, she also revealed that filed-level operations will be further strengthened. As of now, the department has made elaborate preparations to meet any exigency.
During the meeting, she directed officials to ensure adequate stock of medicines in hospitals and other health facilities across the state. George also ordered them to conduct fogging in areas, where the breeding of mosquitoes is high.
The minister asked healthcare workers to wear marks while on duty and said steps should be taken to avoid the spread of fever from hospitals. Finally, she said schools, government offices and houses should observe dry day in the coming weekend to keep a check on the mosquito breeding.