Weil's disease: authorities maintain a bold face

By Our Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM, MAY 23. With the Chief Minister, Mr. A.K. Antony, himself, pulling up top officials, the district and health authorities who were in a long slumber over the increasing incidence of leptospyrosis in the district, suddenly jumped into action with an assurance that all was well on the administrative and health fronts, to face the challenge.

They will now commence an awareness campaign by distributing 50,000 copies of leaflets containing possible precautions and also call a meeting of medical practitioners to train them on the ways and means to fight the epidemic, the District Collector, Mr. B.S. Mavoji, the director of health services, Dr. V.K. Rajan and Dr. Asha Thomas, additional secretary, Health, told presspersons, here today.

According to them, 86 suspected cases had been reported during the past six months and out of this, 11 died. At present, at least 28 persons are undergoing treatment at the three government hospitals, viz., the Kottayam Medical College Hospital, Kottayam district hospital and Changanassery taluk hospital. The condition of three persons at the Medical College hospital is serious, they said.

The Collector said financial assistance of Rs.10,000 each would be extended to the nearest relatives of those who had died of leptospyrosis, while Rs.500 each would be given to the 28 persons who have been admitted to the public sector hospitals.

The authorities who had refused to even confirm the deaths caused by leptospyrosis till the other day, were now at pains to explain as to how fast they had acted. The Collector pointed out how he had got a call from the Chief Minister at 8-30 a.m. and how he had already initiated steps to fight the epidemic. They also provided details regarding incidence of leptospyrosis - over 2,400 last year and nearly 1,500 cases during the past six months, all through the State.

Presspersons were told that lack of laboratory facilities would never be a hindrance to dispensing effective control measures, as medical practitioners have been told to start antibiotics at an early stage itself, if a person arrives with symptoms akin to that of leptospyrosis. They also contested the argument that there was a high rate of mortality as the real magnitude of incidence of leptospyrosis in the State has not been ascertained, mostly because of non-cooperation from the private sector, who refuse to provide the data. About 10 per cent mortality rate is common and one cannot say the State has exceeded this rate, they said. However, they admitted that there were lapses in the follow-up action after the outbreak of the epidemic last year.

Even as the authorities staged a face saving exercise to satisfy their higher-ups, it appears that the real issues related to the increasing incidence of rat fever is given low priority. Rat fever, being directly related to the issue of hygiene and sanitation and direct attack on the rodent population, it is not sure how far the attempt to fight the epidemic through medical strategies alone, would succeed. Press conferences like today's have been an almost annual feature in the district for the past few years and the `strategies' had a natural demise with the epidemic subsiding naturally.

The experience of the past few years show that till now there had been no concerted effort on the part of the authorities to act at the grassroots level with the full involvement of the panchayat raj institutions. A concerted effort to reduce the rodent population which needs involvement of the people at the grass- roots level, setting up necessary laboratory facilities for early detection of the disease and constant vigil on the part of the authorities to provide people with timely warning are still lacking.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Poll review reveals rift in LDF
Next     : Cooperative sector will be depoliticised: Minister