THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : It’s that time of the year. Deadly diseases like dengue, chikungunya and leptospirosis are doing the rounds. Five persons died this month alone in the district. While two succumbed to fever and two to suspected leptospirosis, one person died in a suspected case of dengue. Twelve confirmed cases of dengue and chikungunya were reported in the district as of Monday. The regions affected include Poonthura, Manacaud, Konchiravila, Karakulam, Maranallur, Pangappara, Thiruvallom, Thonnakkal Vattiyoorkavu and Veeranakavu. Thirteen cases of suspected dengue were also reported on Monday.
Authorities blame the unhygienic surroundings as the major reason for the spike. “While the intermittent rains and the heat are a factor, the unclean surroundings are also a major reason. Not many observe Saturday as a dry day. Schools are not cleaned on Fridays. From grow bags left unused to breeding of mosquitoes in aquariums, sources continue to thrive,” said Dr P P Preetha, district medical officer.
The DMO also said that the key regions of chikungunya are the same where the cases were reported last year, which are mostly on the banks of Parvathi Puthanar. Vallakadavu, Manacaud, Konchiravila, Kadakampally, Thiruvallom, Beemapalli and Poozhanad have confirmed cases of Chikungunya. The suspected lepto deaths happened in Amachal and Kizhivillom.
The confirmed dengue death was also in Amachal. The prevailing hot weather has also increased the number of chickenpox cases. “We receive several chickenpox cases. In the case of dengue and other such diseases, our expertise is on the preventive medicine front. Many acquire preventive medicines, mostly after a neighbour or a colleague catches the fever. However, we cannot say that there has been an increase in the number of people who are asking for preventive medicines,” said Dr C S Pradeep, DMO, homeopathy.
Preventive Measures
Preventive medicines are available for almost all of these diseases. Should there be any chance of you getting infected, approach the nearest hospital. Keep the surroundings clean and ensure that there is no water accumulation.Use measures like mosquito bats, nets and even creams to avoid mosquito bites.
affected regions
Twelve confirmed cases of dengue and chikungunya were reported in the district as of Monday. The regions affected include Poonthura, Manacaud, Konchiravila, Karakulam, Maranallur, Pangappara, Thiruvallom, Thonnakkal Vattiyoorkavu and Veeranakavu