Central team arrives to study viral fever cases

Kochi, July 14 (UNI) Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathi today said a six-member Central team had arrived here to study viral fever cases in Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Kollam districts.

Speaking to reporters here, Ms Sreemathi said the team would visit the affected areas in these districts and examine patients to study the symptoms of the disease.

The team would also collect fresh blood samples and study whether there was a mutation to create new strains of virus.

The Central team, the fourth to visit the state, comprised Dr S Venkateswaran and Dr Dibesh Bhattacharya of the National Institute of Communicable Disease, New Delhi, Dr Kalpana Baruva from Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Dr Ashok Kumar of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, Dr Naresh Shah and Dr Mandeep Chaddha from the National Institute of Virology, Pune.

Dr Rajan of Kerala Institute of Virology would be the Team Coordinator.

The Minister categorically stated that the government had taken constructive steps to curb viral fever, including chikungunya, rat fever and dengue in the State.

She said the fever was more prevalent in plantation areas of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts.

The Minister said the reports of the previous Central teams confirmed cases of chikungunya and had advised the government to destroy mosquitoes, to contain its spread.

She said 177 fever-related deaths were reported in five districts--in 80 Kottayam, in 82 Pathanamthitta, in 11 Kollam, three in Ernakulam, and one in Kozhikode. There were less reports of new fever cases in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts.

The government was conducting around 2,100 camps of Allopathy, Homeo and Ayurveda in various places of the affected districts.

The Minister also ridiculed the pposition United Democratic Front's (UDF) practice of calling hartals ''to protest'' against the government's alleged failure to contain fever.

UNI