With a view to prevent any epidemic in flood-hit regions of Maharashtra, the state Directorate of Health Services has stepped up efforts to prevent spread of water borne diseases.
MUMBAI: With a view to prevent any epidemic in flood-hit regions of Maharashtra, the state Directorate of Health Services has stepped up efforts to prevent spread of water borne diseases.
"To prevent any water borne disease taking an epidemic form, we are taking all kinds of precautions, especially in the flood-hit regions of Sangli and Solapur this monsoon," assistant Director, Health Services Suhas Ranade said.
While rescue teams have reached the 19 villages in Kolhapur and Sangli districts that had lost contact with rest of the state, paramedical teams have been deputed to visit rural areas for door-to-door enquiries regarding cholera, hepatitis, diarrhoea and fever, Ranade said.
The Health Directorate has also been routinely keeping a check on water-purity across Gram Panchayats in the state and whether chlorine is being used for purification, he said, adding workers are also being trained to use chlorine.
District Collectors have been directed to spread awareness through local cable networks regarding precautions that need to be taken during monsoons to prevent diseases, said Ranade.
Earlier, Public Health Minister Vimal Mundada had said that over 900 cases of malaria have been detected in Mumbai in the month of June.
Mundada had also said that nine cases of leptospirosis had been detected. Of them, six were in Pune and three in Mumbai.
During the post July 26, 2005 deluge, there were 2,361 cases of leptospirosis in the state leading to 167 deaths. But death toll reduced in the subsequent year to 58 with 1,189 people affected by the disease, he said.
In the case of leptospirosis, `Doxycycline' was readily available in the market. But consumption of the medicine as a precaution was not required unless in areas prone to the disease like Kolhapur, Sangli, Nasik, Sindhudurg and areas in and around Mumbai where it has been occurring since the past three years, Ranade said.
Walking barefoot in contaminated water could lead to diseases like leptospirosis, he said adding special care should also be taken by cattle-breeders to maintain sanitation.
The Disaster Management Cell has allotted about Rs five crores for health services for the monsoons, Ranade said.
The state has also increased diagnostic facility for diseases like Leptospirosis and Chikungunya by setting up 15 testing centres across the state instead taxing only the National Institute of Virology. There are three centres in Mumbai, he added.
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