New Delhi: As flood waters start receding in disaster-hit Kerala, a new threat looms. The public health department of the state government is grappling with skin diseases and fever in the relief camps in the first signs of disease outbreaks.
“As several flood victims are staying close together in relief camps, the chances of people contracting skin diseases are high. Some camps have reported a few cases of chicken pox, which is highly contagious, though the number is nominal. However, we have to be careful,” Kerala health minister K.K. Shailaja Teacher told Mint.
“Other diseases coming to our notice are respiratory problems and fever. We are running a fever clinic and have a surveillance system with 36 control rooms where any waterborne disease outbreak can be reported,” the minister said.
“To ensure that no flood- affected part of Kerala has a shortage of doctors, we have deployed ayurveda and homeopathy doctors who can be used in case of emergency,” she said.
The private healthcare sector in Kerala is also helping the government tackle the health situation in relief camps, reaching the affected areas through boats.
“The major problem we are facing is skin infections, especially in the leg. Elderly people who are diabetic and hypertensive have uncontrolled sugar and blood pressure levels. They are more susceptible to various other diseases because of compromised immunity. However, we have started providing antihypertensive, hypoglycemic drugs as well as ointments for dermatitis,” said Manju P.N., chief executive of the Meditrina Group of Hospitals, Kerala.
“Anticipating the epidemic of communicable diseases we need to be vigilant as these camps are vulnerable to communicable diseases. There should not be any case of emergency,” she said.
“The situation is being monitored on a daily basis and the strategic Health Operation Centre has been activated. No outbreak of communicable disease has been reported yet,” said Union heath minister J.P. Nadda, who had held a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday to review relief measures.
Sixty-five metric tonnes of essential emergency drugs that were airlifted on Tuesday by the Indian Air Force, have reached Trivandrum.
At least 12 public health teams have been constituted, one each for the 12 worst-affected districts and ready for deployment at the request of the state. Another 10 specialist medical teams have been constituted with 30 specialists and 20 general duty medical officers. Besides, psycho-social teams from the National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences will be deployed as and when requested by the state government, Nadda said.
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which has teams ready for deployment in Kerala, has issued several health advisories to support the state in post-flood public health management when the threat of water-borne and vector-borne diseases and viral hepatitis could become potent.
As the flood situation in Kodagu in neighbouring Karnataka is also worsening, a medical team from Bengaluru has been dispatched to Kodagu district to provide support.
Meanwhile, India has told its missions abroad to politely refuse all offers of aid for the floods in Kerala—signalling to the world that while it appreciates the gesture from the international community, India will be able to meet the challenge through its domestic resources.
Elizabeth Roche contributed to this story.