Dengue fever numbers have risen at an alarming rate across districts in Kerala, giving rise to apprehension that the situation is getting out of hand.
On Friday, the official figures provided by the Health Department’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Project showed that 161 confirmed cases were reported in the State, taking the total number of confirmed dengue cases so far this year to 6,808. There have been 13 confirmed dengue deaths till date. With over 65% of the population seeking care in the private sector, these figures are not indicative.
The total number of suspected dengue cases this year so far is an unprecedented 23,091 cases and 38 suspected deaths.
On Friday, eight deaths were reported in the State, out of which four are suspected dengue deaths (two from Thiruvananthapuram and one each from Malappuram and Palakkad), three fever deaths (one each from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Kottayam).
A total number of 17,789 people reported with fever in the State on Friday, out of which 696 are suspected to be dengue.
Protocols issued
“We have issued dengue management protocols and doctors have been sufficiently trained too. We have been telling them not to make unnecessary referrals but none wants to take risks. In order to improve case management and reduce deaths, we have now called a meeting of the Rapid Response Team,” a senior Health official said.