Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Preventive measures against leptospirosis

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The possibility of a cluster of leptospirosis cases surfacing in the district among those employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has had the district health administration swinging into action and organising large-scale preventive measures in the area.

District Medical Officer T. Peethambaran said Health officials suspected that about 10 to 15 persons engaged in canal cleaning works in Perumala ward in Pullampara panchayat under the Kanyakulangara Community Health Centre jurisdiction could be at risk of leptospirosis.

The health administration was alerted about this possibility following the death of one Asuma Beevi from Pullampara at Medical College Hospital on Thursday night, who had all the clinical symptoms of leptospirosis. The woman had been engaged in cleaning work for a week in the locality along with several others, under the MGNREGS.

This is the first suspected leptospirosis death in the district this year, where so far about 17 cases have been reported. The officials said that the total number of cases of leptospirosis could actually be much more. The number of cases could be remaining low due to the reason that Health field staff have not been doing any disease monitoring and reporting since February as they are all waging a non-cooperation strike.

Health officials have received information that some seven others, who were part of the group engaged in cleaning activity under the MGNREGS in Pullampara are also down with fever and that they have been taking treatment from the Kanyakulangara CHC. “We suspect that more persons could be at risk of leptospirosis in the area. A team of officials will visit the area on Saturday to prepare a list of all persons who were in the cleaning group and administer them doxycycline or penicillin,” he said.

This is not the first time that leptospirosis cases are emerging as a cluster in the district, especially among those engaged in manual labour or mass cleaning activities under the MGNREGS. The district health administration pointed out that they had issued warnings several times to panchayat authorities that doxycycline be administered to all workers as prophylaxis (drug is available for free from the local health institutions) to prevent the risk of infectious diseases such as leptospirosis before they are engaged in cleaning.

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