Veena George faces biggest test of her tenure as Kerala now reels under two epidemics: COVID-19 and Zika

Thiruvananthapuram, July 09: Leadership is truly tested in times of crisis, and for Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the Zika virus outbreak has created yet another challenge.

Even as the Covid pandemic continue to rage in Kerala, Zika virus cases have been detected in the state.

It was no surprise, then, that the Covid 19 pandemic that hit Kerala before any other part of India, became a test case for the Kerala model in dealing with such a crisis.

Zika virus in Kerala

A 24-year-old pregnant woman has been diagnosed with the mosquito transmitted disease. There are 13 other suspected cases of the virus from Thiruvananthapuram. Of the 19 samples sent from Thiruvananthapuram, 13 health workers, including doctors, are suspected to be positive for Zika, the minister said.

The woman, hailing from Parassalain Thiruvananthapuram district, who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, delivered her baby on July7. She had been admitted to the hospital on June 28 with fever, headache and red marks on her body.

The tests conducted at the hospital confirmed that she was positive following which her samples were sent to NIV, Pune.

The condition of the woman was satisfactory. Though she does not have any travel history outside the state, her house is on the Tamil Nadu border. A week ago,her mother had also shown similar symptoms, a government release added. The symptoms of Zika are similar to dengue including fever, skin rashes and joint pain.

Knowledge of zoonotic diseases important says Veena George

Veena George said that with two-thirds of communicable diseases being animal-borne, they can be prevented only if there is knowledge about zoonotic diseases.

She further said that besides the common zoonotic diseases, likeleptospirosis, scrub typhus, monkey fever, Nipah, rabies, Japanese fever and West Nile fever, which are commonly reported in Kerala, COVID-19 also poses athreat to public health.

George said that human-animal interactions were unavoidable, but precautions can be taken to prevent transfer of viruses, bacteria or parasites from animals to humans.

Some of the precautions suggested by her were -- being careful while interacting with animals or their body fluids, washing hands with soap after any contact with animals, preventing pets from licking on the face or lips and ensuring they are immunized timely.

She also said that people under the age of 5 years and over 65, who have weak immune systems, and pregnant women should be careful when interacting with animals.

Besides that, those going for work or recreation in forest areas should take personal safety measures, she said.

Maximise testing in 6 districts where TPR is high

The Kerala government hadd earlier decided to maximise the testing, quarantine and contact tracing procedures in six districts of the state where the COVID test positivity rate (TPR) is yet to come down despite lockdown curbs.

As per the official figures, the TPR is recorded high in Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

Central team expresses satisfaction over Kerala govt's COVID mitigation efforts

The high-level multi-disciplinary public health team sent by the Centre to monitor the COVID-19 control and containment measures in Kerala on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the mitigation methods implemented in the State.

The team visited the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital, Parippally medical college and Kolenchery General Hospital and took stock of the COVID-19 treatment facilities andheld discussions with state Health Minister Veena George.

"The team expressed satisfaction on the treatment given to the patients, basic facilities, and vaccination process in the state," George said.

She said the central health team noted that the government had intervened efficiently to avoid shortage of oxygen and ICU beds in the state during the pandemic.

"We have also requested the union government to allot 90 lakh additional doses of vaccine. We are trying to vaccinate 2.5 to 3 lakh persons per day," the minister said.

The team comprises Regional Director Officer Public Health specialist Ruchi jain and JIPMER Pulmonary Medicine department head Dr S K Vinod Kumar. The team had also held discussions with health secretary Rajan Khobragade, NHM state mission director Rathen Khelkar and others.