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Steps on to contain jaundice outbreak in Kunnamkulam

By Our Staff Reporter

KUNNAMKULAM, FEB. 4. The Kunnamkulam municipal health authorities have intensified efforts to contain the outbreak of waterborne diseases such as jaundice.

An autorickshaw driver, Nambiath Shaji (26), died of jaundice at the nearby Chittanjur area on Thursday.

The municipal health supervisor, T. Achuthan, told The Hindu here that chlorination of all water sources is being done and non-governmental organisations such as Kudumbasree are being involved in this drive.

Nearly 400 wells, including public wells, have been chlorinated already.

Sent for tests

Samples of water from various sources have been sent for tests at the Chemical Examination Laboratory at Kakkanad in Ernakulam.

The municipality is sending a team to the laboratory on Saturday to procure sample collection bottles so that more samples can be sent for testing. Surprise inspections are being carried out at hotels and cool drink stalls to check whether the stock there is infected, Mr. Achuthan said. Efforts are also on to construct safe latrines in all the houses in the municipal limits, he said.

As it is believed that there are preventive medicines for jaundice in the homoeo system, 20 homoeo medical camps are being conducted in various parts of the municipality. Free preventive medicines will be distributed in those camps. The District Medical officer (DMO) of homoeo, T. A. Kochanthoni, and other doctors of the Department held discussions with the municipal authorities in this regard today.

The Ayurveda DMO, V. N. Gopinathan, said plans are being worked out to distribute ayurvedic medicines to the jaundice-affected patients in different areas, after conducting proper diagnostic tests.

The DMO, P. V. Mohanan, and a joint team of doctors from the department and from the Thrissur Medical College also visited the jaundice-affected areas in Kunnamkulam. Dr. Mohanan said a section from the team is conducting inspections in all the hotels and cool drink stalls in the area to trace the source of jaundice infection.

Food items seized

He said spoiled food items and cool drinks were seized by the team. The Municipal authorities have convened a meeting of doctors from all the systems of medicines, both from the private and the Government sector, on Saturday to chalk out a coordinated strategy to contain the jaundice outbreak.

Licence for water

Dr. Mohanan in a statement issued here made it clear that the lorries which are distributing water must have a licence for it. He said action would be taken against such unauthorised lorries. Dr Mohanan also said that only those with health cards should prepare and serve food and cool drinks in hotels and cool drink stalls. The hotels must serve only boiled water for drinking.

The producers of cool drinks must use only purified water for it.

The utensils must be washed in boiled water, he said.

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