Kochi on epidemic alert
KOCHI: The alarming rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the city has sent a shock wave among the public and district administration. Now, health officials have spotted several areas where certain water-borne diseases have been reported and have started a combined campaign to reduce the spread of the diseases.
Officials said that Jaundice (Hepatitis A), Shigella, and dysentery cases are spreading in many areas of the district. There was a need for a huge awareness campaign as well as combined preventive measures to face this challenge with limited resources as most of the resources are already being used to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said.
“As a first step, once in a week, an awareness campaign is being organised in all the wards of the district. Members of the Kudumbasree, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and representatives from the District Medical Officer (DMO) are visiting each house in the ward to spread awareness about the impending danger,” said an official from the DMO.
Kochi mayor M Anilkumar told TNIE there was already a massive campaign for mosquito eradication in the city and the efforts will continue since several water-borne diseases are being reported in the city. “Serious diseases are spreading through stagnated and contaminated water in the open areas, which is a threat to public health. We are on a continuous campaign to fight this menace,” the mayor said.
The fatality rate of leptospirosis is about 15 to 20 per cent while in the case of Covid, it is less than five per cent. Because of rising deaths, Mrithasanjeevani, an awareness programme was initiated on November 5. There is also an ongoing campaign, ‘Swayam’, to take precaution against COVID-19. So, the department has combined these two campaigns along with the ‘My Health, My Responsibility’ and ‘Zero Aedes’ campaigns to tackle the spread of these diseases.
Volunteers for help
To intensify the campaign, the officials have combined several projects that were already in place and have taken up the help of volunteers and resident associations. Resident associations and members of the public have also volunteered themselves for the campaign. They visit every household to check if there are any utensils where water is stored for more than a week, or coconut shells where water is accumulated, the backside of the refrigerator, etc. Even while storing water, the same has to be replaced within a week, said the officials.
Back to Basics
District administration, in association with the health department and the Disaster Management Authority, stepped up measures to curb the second wave of Covid-19. An awareness campaign titled ‘Back to Basics’ will sensitise the public about the need for vaccination.Announcements will be made from a vehicle in areas like Kochi corporation and Thrikkakkara municipality. The campaign will be strengthened in the coming days, said officials. This will continue for a week. Deputy collector S Shajahan inaugurated the campaign on Tuesday.
Clean indoor plants, birdbaths
Since working from home became a necessity during the pandemic, many started gardening and beautification projects of their home. Many started growing indoor plants, which became a huge trend, say the health officials. However, apart from the initial interest, the new gardeners fail to change the water occasionally, they added. “It is mandatory that the water in these vases has to be changed at least once a week. The same is the case with birdbaths. During the summer, people keep the birdbaths to support the birds and fail to replace the water occasionally. So, we have initiated campaign videos by celebrities and posted them on the Facebook page of the DMO to promote the idea. Ernakulam district collector S Suhas has also joined the campaign,” the official said.
Preventive measures
- Avoid welcome drink during functions
- Drink only boiled water
- Do not mix normal water with boiled water
- Chlorinate well water
- Avoid drinking water from outside, take bottles of boiled water along with you
- Avoid eating outside
- Keep food and water in closed containers
- Clean hands with soap before eating food and after using the toilet