THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With over 100 deaths being reported since January in
Kerala due to various types of fevers, government on Sunday appealed to the people to join the government's mass sanitation drive on a war footing.
According to health department sources here, as many as 103 people, including women and children, have succumbed to various types of fevers including
H1N1, leptospirosis and dengue from January till date.
Of the total 103 deaths, 53 people have died of H1N1 and 13 due to dengue, sources said.
Chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan has appealed to the people of the state to come out in large numbers to help the local bodies in the cleaning drive.
“The time has come for the people of the state to unite and help the government in checking the fever outbreak. All political parties, local body representatives, all cultural and social leaders, resident associations, clubs and other organizations should unite in the cleaning drive which should be carried out on a war footing,“ said the chief minister in a statement.
He said that even though the government has been focusing on waste management, it has not become successful.It is a fact that the waste management is still a matter of concern and hence the gov ernment needs the support of all people, cutting across all the sections in the society, for making waste management a success, he said.
There are reports that the fever cases are comparatively low in those places where the waste management has become effective. Hence it is sure that we can control the spread of diseases if we could keep our surroundings clean.The source reduction drive to curb the breeding of mosquitoes is the prime focus area now and hence the local bodies need the support of the people in effectively carrying out this drive.
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The government has taken all measures to ensure proper treatment to all patients in government hospitals and adequate stock of drugs have been ensured in all hospitals.But this alone will not prevent the spread of diseases.
Proper waste management and keeping our surroundings clean are the two essential areas which we have to take care for controlling the spreading of dengue and other communicable disease.Only a healthy living condition can prevent the fever outbreak from taking epidemic proportions.
It is not just personal protection that we should look into. We should also focus on protecting the community from the spreading diseases.The government needs the support of all the people in the state in making this a reality, said the chief minister in his appeal.