THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the confirmation of highly contagious H5N1 in the state, the government on Thursday stepped up precautionary and containment measures in the affected areas to check the spread of the virus which could spread to human beings.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has convened a high- level meeting on Friday to review the situation in the affected districts and the measures being taken to check its spread to human beings.
With the affected areas of the three districts densely populated, the authorities are not taking any chances.
Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar, however, said that while maximum alert had been sounded, there was no need for panic.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data for the period 2003-2014, there is not even a single confirmed case of H5N1. However, WHO statistics show that 650 cases, including 386 deaths, had been reported in as many as 17 countries during this period with Indonesia topping the fatalities at 163 followed by Egypt 63. Pakistan reported one death between 2003 and 2009.
Health authorities are vigilant since WHO has confirmed that all cases of H5N1 in people in the past had been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds or H5N1- contaminated environment.
Since local residents in affected areas of Alappuzha and Kottayam had handled infected and dead ducks without taking any precautions and even culled the birds without protective gear, health authorities have called for bringing such people under close surveillance to check any possible symptoms.
The health minister said there was no need for panic as human-to-human transmission was rare. However, experts say there is no room for complacency as virus can cause severe health problems and even fatality in humans if unchecked.
The health department has already instructed the medical institutions to keep a close watch on people from the affected areas who report symptoms like fever , cough, sore throat and muscle aches.
Doctors have been advised to look for early symptoms like abdominal pain, chest pain and diarrhoea as well. Medical experts say the infection could result in respiratory problem, shortness of breath and acute respiratory distress syndrome besides pneumonia.
The health department has also decided to make arrangements for isolation units in district and general hospitals besides medical colleges with ventilator facilities to tackle any emergency.
Oseltamivir tablets are being stocked in all designated hospitals since the drug helps in reducing the severity of illness and also prevents fatalities.
All persons coming to the hospitals with suspected symptoms of H5N1 need to be put on Tamiflu medication right from the beginning.
Doctors say the seasonal influenza vaccination might not ensure protection against H5N1. Meanwhile, the health department has intensified containment and awareness programmes in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts.
In Alappuzha, 62 teams visited 11, 729 houses and contacted 41,201 individuals, in Kottayam 20 teams visited 1,656 houses and contacted 6,638 individuals and in Pathanamthitta 17 teams visited 669 houses and met 224 people.
The health authorities put in place isolation facilities with ventilator. As many as 30,000 tablets will reach on Friday and fresh orders have been placed for another 50,000 to meet the situation.
