ALAPPUZHA: With a spurt in fever cases being reported in the district on Monday, medical teams from the Army are heading for Alappuzha. The situation in Alappuzha was reported to be under control.

District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan said the Army teams were expected to reach Alappuzha by Monday night.

The team is expected to visit Government hospitals at Muhamma, Cherthala and Alappuzha on Monday night, the Collector said. The Army's help was sought to initiate vector control drives and treatment facilities in remote areas of the district, Mr. Balakrishnan said at a review meeting of the Health Department here on Monday.

District Medical Officer N.N. Murali said there was a rise in over 500 fever cases in the district on Monday, with 1,115 cases being registered at various hospitals in Alappuzha. The average till Sunday was between 600 and 700 cases a day. As many as 118 people were admitted to hospitals on Monday, while six persons were suspected to have chikungunya.

So far, no deaths caused by fever have been reported in Alappuzha, Dr. Murali said. Eight cases have been diagnosed as chikungunya. Reports on serum samples of 24 suspected cases of chikungunya from the State Virology Institute here are being awaited, he said.

At the meeting, district Ayurveda and Homoeopathy medical officers said the anti-fever drives were being hampered by the paucity of funds, shortage of field staff and the absence of vehicles.

Dr. Murali said that accounts were not opened and the Rs.10,000-aid for sanitary and fever control activities was yet to be used in several of the 1,284 wards in the district.

C.S. Sujatha, Mavelikara MP; K.C. Venugopal, Alappuzha MLA; pointed out that the sanitary and fogging operations in several places were lagging and steps should be taken to expedite the process.

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