Rat fever: Death toll at 31, high alert in 13 districts
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Kozhikode: Flood-battered Kerala has sounded a high alert for leptospirosis (rat fever) with ten more people dying on Sunday with the symptoms.
About 43 people have died due to rat fever since August 20. The state health department has sounded an alert in 13 districts except Kasaragod and sought more medicines from the Union Health Ministry.
About 33 cases of leptospirosis have been confirmed on Sunday alone. A total of 68 persons have sought treatment with similar symptoms.
The possibility of contracting rat fever, a zoonotic disease (that transmits from animals to humans), is high during flooding as urine from infected rat or other rodents can contaminate water and pass on to human beings easily, according to experts, who added that the aged and those suffering from kidney or liver ailments were the easy targets.
Its symptoms include high fever, headache, chills, abdominal pain and rashes.
Kozhikode district which is yet to recover from Nipah shock, reported the maximum number of cases. At least 60 people with symptoms of rat fever were reported, of which 28 were later confirmed.
A special isolation ward has been opened at Kozhikode Medical College hospital. Apart from leptospirosis, other diseases like dengue, malaria, jaundice, meningitis, diarrhea and chicken pox have been reported in various places.
Meanwhile, two more workers involved in clean-up operations after the deluge succumbed to rat fever on Sunday, taking the toll to 31 in three days. The volunteers have been identified as Kumari, 48, of Aimuri, Perumbavoor and Suresh, 36, from Vellikulangara, Chalakudy.
According to the health officials, around 2 million people in the state would have come to contact with the flood waters and hence all of them should take preventive care.
At least 17 persons were killed in the nipah outbreak in June but later it was localized to two districts including Kozhikode.
Worried health officials have asked people in flood-hit areas and those engaged in cleaning work to take two 100 mg doxycyline tablets after food twice a week.
In Kozhikode, excise minister T P Ramakrishnan popped a doxycyline tablet on Saturday after a press conference, urging people to take enough precautions.