Major drive against contagious diseases

KOCHI: With monsoon around the corner, Ernakulam district health department has launched a major drive against spread of contagious diseases. At a meeting of top officials and Ministers convened here the other day, Health Minister V S Sivakumar instructed the officials to intensify the activities in this regard.District Medical Officer Dr R Sudhakaran informed the officials on the current scenario of water-borne diseases in Ernakulam. He also elaborated on the steps taken by the department to deal with spread of contagious diseases.“The health department has adopted measures like superchlorination of wells, distribution of rat poison to households, inspection of residential areas and awareness creation as part of the efforts to prevent contagious diseases during monsoon,” Dr Sudhakaran added.Incidents of Hepatitis A and B were reported from some parts of the city. Last week, the health department identified a case of H1N1 fever from the district, following which, the department had issued strict instructions to ensure the quality of drinking water.Speaking at the meeting, Urban Affairs Minister Manjalam Kuzhi Ali directed the officials to carry out regular checking and inspection at wayside eateries, in association with the Corporation. Recently, Kochi Corporation launched a drive to verify the quality of food and drinking water at wayside eateries.The Health Minister assured to take measures to deploy sufficient number of medical officers and ensure proper supply of medicines in the major hospitals. As part of the efforts, a 24-hour control room and ambulances have been set up. “Procedures have begun to deploy medical officials, including Rapid Action Teams at the hospitals,” he said. The Minister asked the public to follow the instructions issued by the health department in view of the spread of diseases.Apart from the Health and Urban Affairs Ministers, Excise Minister K Babu, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob, MLAs Dominic Presentation, Hibi Eden, Anwar Sadath, Mayor Tony Chammany, District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth and health department director Dr P K Jameela were also present.