Thiruvananthapuram: The integrated disease surveillance unit at the directorate of health services (DHS) resembles a war room every evening as key public health officials go into a huddle, sifting data from across the state and sending out alerts following reports of an uptick in dengue and H1N1 cases.
Alarm bells have been rung because of the impending monsoon. Any let-up in treatment measures could spin the situation out of control. The prevention phase has ebbed and the time of treatment has set in, says the state epidemiologist Dr A. Sukumaran.
The latest report of H1N1 has come from an old age home in Kasargod. Lab tests of serum taken from inmates who reported with fever and body ache a week back have confirmed the infection. The DMO has deputed a medical team to be on vigil 24X7.
At the DHS, the health team is on edge. The team comprising the state surveillance officer, epidemiologist, data analyst and veterinary officer sifts data from all 14 districts, the prevention of epidemic and infectious diseases cells at medical colleges, public health labs, the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha and Manipal Institute of Virology.
Cases requiring urgent intervention are reported to the DHS, after which alerts are sent to DMOs. Doctors in the periphery are assigned immediate tasks to contain the infection and keep tabs on the possibility of an outbreak.
These efforts are not done in isolation; the grassroots-level efforts are concerted, especially with the participation of local bodies.
All four types of dengue have been found to be endemic to the capital city, besides reports of dengue from four plantation-rich panchayats in Kozhikode. It has been established that 60 to 70 divisions in Thiruvananthapuram are prone.
Almost all urban centres in the State are vulnerable to dengue, H1N1, leptospyrosis, spread mostly by cattle and stray dogs, and hepatitis.
