Mapping of fever patients in every village starts to ensure immediate medical intervention

Since dengue cases are getting reported from various parts of Tamil Nadu, the district administration has started the mapping of fever patients including the dengue cases in every village of the district for ensuring immediate medical intervention and uneventful recovery.

District Collector Anand Mohan told The Hindu that the health department officials and local body representatives had been told to record all information pertaining to fever cases in their jurisdiction everyday and share the same in the WhatsApp group created exclusively for this purpose. On getting information about the new fever cases, the health department officials will immediately swing into action for ensuring immediate medical attention to the fever patients.

After screening the patient, all relevant clinical investigations will start to pinpoint the exact cause of the fever, which may be dengue, malaria or typhoid etc. Based on the clinical investigation results, the right line of treatment will start.

“Even though there is no ‘fever hotspot’ (a place with a minimum of 3 fever patients) in any part of Tirunelveli district, we’ve introduced this mapping to keep the machinery fully geared-up to face any eventuality during the upcoming Northeast monsoon, the season conducive for the spread of water-borne and vector-borne diseases. This kind of mapping ensures the right diagnosis and the correct line of treatment to the fever patients after early clinical investigations, which are not mostly preferred by the patients or their families. They mostly rely upon self-medication by getting medicines from pharmacies without prescription by qualified physicians. It should be strictly avoided,” Mr. Anand Mohan said.

If fever cases are reported, special fever camps will be organised in those areas even as the Dengue Breeding Checkers will visit every home to look for dengue mosquito breeding points and carry-out anti-larval operations. Moreover, fogging and mass cleaning activities will be instantly started by the local body concerned.

“Even though there is no such situation in the district as of now, we’ve put in place all these preparations, which is very much helpful in containing the fever cases below 2 in any particular area,” said Mr. Anand Mohan.

In October (till 11th), only 120 fever cases have been reported in Tirunelveli district. Of this, 8 are dengue positive cases, including 3 with travel history.

“Thirty-seven fever cases and 2 dengue positive cases are under treatment now in the special fever wards created in the hospitals including Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital while all others have been discharged after complete recovery,” the Collector said.

The chlorination of drinking water being supplied to the residents is being analysed in the laboratories across the district and the results are recorded online everyday. Since the District Collector also gets this report from all the blocks, there is no slack in the chlorination of drinking water, which is essential for avoiding water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, jaundice and typhoid.