With an increase in mosquito population following the intermittent summer rain, dengue and other vector-borne diseases are on the rise in the district.
District Medical Officer A.L. Sheeja told The Hindu on Tuesday that 84 confirmed cases of dengue fever had been reported from various parts of the district since January.
Fourteen cases were reported in the past three weeks alone.
The majority of these cases had been reported from Vechoochira, Naranammoozhy and Kuttoor.
A team of experts from the Health Department had inspected the worst-hit Vechoochira and surrounding areas.
Leptospirosis
Forty-five cases of leptospirosis too were reported from the district since January. The majority of the cases was reported from the Pathanamthitta municipal limits, Elanthoor, Vechoochira and Vallana, the DMO said.
Negligence on the part of local bodies has left drainages in the district clogged, posing a public health risk, she said adding the Health Department had issued notices to all local bodies to ensure cleanliness and effective sanitation in their jurisdiction to avert the outbreak of epidemics during the monsoon season.
There are also reports of drainages that carry waste from hotels, hospitals, markets, slaughterhouses and so on emptying out into natural streams leading to the the Pampa, Achencoil and Manimala rivers. Waste dumped in public places and clogged drainages offers safe breeding ground for rodents and flies.
Dr. Sheeja said the Health Department would soon launch vector-control measures through public awareness-cum-sanitation programmes across the district. The local bodies have to launch source reduction of vectors on a war footing by ensuring proper sanitation and waste disposal.