THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An expert committee appointed by the state government has warned of a potential surge in dengue and chikungunya cases in the state due to El Niño and global climate shifts and suggested the launch of intensive control measures by roping in various departments. Muraleedharan promised immediate follow-up action on the proposals.
In its preliminary epidemic prevention report submitted before Health Minister K Muraleedharan, the panel chaired by Dr S S Lal noted a concurrent rise in waterborne Shigella cases and recommended launching an intensive outbreak control campaign named ‘GOAL’.
It urged the government to hold an immediate inter-departmental meeting uniting health, local self-government (LSG), education, forest, agriculture, public works and animal husbandry departments under a unified ‘One Health’ approach.
To ensure immediate field-level impact, the committee advised starting a statewide, three-month sanitation and vector-control drive this week. The report also stressed the importance of mapping high-risk hotspots using the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and supplying field test kits to health workers.