Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Vector control steps to be intensified

Staff Reporter

Isolated cases of dengue fever reported in the district

Thiruvananthapuram: Vector control activities are being intensified across the district as part of the control measures being adopted to check the spread of viral fever. Scattered cases of dengue fever are also being reported from across the district.

Intermittent rain creates the most conducive environment for dengue vectors, the Aedes species, to breed. As the same species are responsible for spreading chikungunya, sustained control measures alone can help check all vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and filariasis.

A review meeting of the district monitoring cell that has been set up to oversee the disease prevention activities convened at the Collectorate by Law Minister M. Vijayakumar on Saturday suggested setting up of such cells in each Assembly constituency to monitor the implementation of the intensive vector control drive that the Government had announced.

More than fogging and spraying of larvicides, elimination of mosquito breeding sites in individual households is the most effective control measure. Local bodies should play a greater role in mobilising the public, health volunteers, as well as NCC cadets and scouts for the cleaning and sanitation drive, it was suggested.

Mr. Vijayakumar said the cooperation of private hospitals should be sought wherever there was scarcity of doctors and that adequate medicine supply should be ensured in all hospitals. All MLAs representing various constituencies in the district, the District Medical Officer and representatives of various departments were present at the meeting.

Review meeting

The Government doctors in the district too held their monthly review meeting on Saturday. Chikungunya viral fever outbreak that had gripped the coastal areas in the district in the past two months has been brought under control, the district health administration officials said. While fever cases continued to be reported from coastal areas, the intensity of the epidemic was brought down tremendously, they said.

Chikungunya can result in severe arthralgia (joint pain) in patients, which could last for months, even after the fever and other symptoms subsided. Majority of those affected in Vizhinjam were still suffering from arthralgia, which was preventing them from going for work.

The Health Department officials said they already conducted one medical camp at Vizhinjam, specifically for attending to people suffering from arthralgia associated with chikungunya.

"The WHO recommends treatment with chloroquine phosphate in the case of post-chikungunya arthralgia. We have been conducting pilot studies and have found chloroquine to be quite effective. Another medical camp will soon be conducted in the coastal area for attending to the problems of arthralgia," a department official said.

Officials said long-term programmes with inter-sectoral coordination and community participation at the ward-level were required for preventing further outbreak of vector-borne diseases.

`Dry day' to be observed

The Health Department suggested that schoolchildren be made to involve actively in vector control measures as part of their environment education activities. Sunday will be observed as a `dry day', when every child should be asked to check their home and surroundings and eliminate possible mosquito breeding sites such as plastic covers, coconut shells, old utensils or flower pots in which rain water can stagnate.

Children should also be asked to write down their observations and what they did for mosquito control and present it as a project in school, it was suggested. Meanwhile, health officials said the mosquitoes that breed in stagnant waste water or in septic tanks, Armigeres species, are not disease-causing mosquitoes.

"Armigeres are the big-sized mosquitoes that come out in large numbers at dusk. People should ensure that the septic tanks and biogas plants are sealed tightly to ensure that these do not breed in their surroundings.

"The National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme does not encourage the use of mosquito repellent creams as these are chemicals. Children, the elderly or those who sleep during the day should be asked to use mosquito nets as Aedes species are day-time biters," one of the official said.

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