Kozhikode tops in H1N1 cases in Kerala in 2019

KOZHIKODE: Kozhikode district had the maximum number of H1N1 patients in Kerala in 2019, reveals the data published by the state health department.
It’s for the second consecutive year that the district has topped in reporting maximum number of H1N1 cases and deaths in the state.
According to health department authorities, the state had reported a total of 853 H1N1 cases and 45 deaths from January 1, 2019 to December 31. Out of these, 142 cases and seven deaths were reported from Kozhikode district. In 2018 too, the district had the highest number of H1N1 cases in the state, 161 cases and six deaths.
The experts in the field have opined that the effective surveillance mechanism established in the district from the grassroots level to district level following the Nipah virus outbreak was the reason for the timely detection of H1N1 cases. The health department authorities have opined that they have put in place an effective surveillance mechanism covering each local self-government bodies in the district after the 2018 Nipah virus outbreak, treat each case of fever and other symptoms with utmost care and collect swabs from suspected patients. This has resulted in the accurate detection of the H1N1 cases.
H1N1 district nodal officer Dr C J Michel said that the number of H1N1 cases decreased in Kozhikode in 2019, compared to 2018. “The district medical officer here has put in place an effective surveillance mechanism to ensure the daily reporting of the communicable diseases after the Nipah outbreak. Even private hospitals provide data daily in case patients with suspected symptoms of H1N1 approach them for treatment. The health field staff of grassroots level immediately reports the disease on it detection to avoid further spreading,’’ he said, adding that continuous health awareness and screening programmes by the health department covering all schools, high risk and vulnerable groups have also helped in the timely detection of the cases.