KOCHI: With the summer at its peak, communicable diseases such as chicken pox and jaundice are on the rise. There are over 14,839 reported cases of chicken pox in Kerala out of which 623 are from Ernakulam along with 30 reported cases of jaundice.
“This summer there are more reported cases of communicable diseases as compared to last summer because these kinds of diseases follow a pattern. Every three to four years there is a spike in the number of reported cases because of a genetic change in the virus,” says Dr Bala Gangadharan, Additional District Medical Officer, Ernakulam.
The Kalamassery Municipality has a seen an increase in cases of hepatitis and jaundice. Children, especially, became more susceptible to these diseases. The Municipal Council alleges that this is caused due to the unsanitary water that is supplied to the municipality.
The district medical office probed the issue and has collected water samples which led to the shutting down of unhygienic restaurants.
“It is most likely that these cases stem from children eating from street vendors who use unhygienic ingredients and work in unsanitary conditions. We have looked into the water condition as well, and the results are yet to arrive,” says Dr Bala Gangadharan.
“There are many cases of chicken pox that have been treated here in the past months. The hospital has been using all the available facilities and resources to treat these patients,” says Dahlia V S, Superintendent of General Hospital, Ernakulam. “Healthy food and a hygienic environment is enough to keep such diseases at bay,” she adds.
Private vaccine companies have released vaccines for easily curable diseases like chicken pox. “Most doctors and the DMO do not encourage vaccinations like these. They are not a 100 per cent effective and they have an extremely short life span of about 6-7 months. Such vaccines have only been released to con people into spending large amounts of money,” says Dr Bala Gangadharan.
With the monsoon season fast approaching, these diseases will be traded in for more fatal ones such as dengue, H1N1, malaria and typhoid. The district medical office has initiated many awareness programs to prevent the spread of these diseases.