62 deaths due to fever in Kerala in four months

As many as 62 people died due to fever in Kerala in the last four months of which 24 lost their lives due to H1N1 influenza, State Health minister K K Shylaja informed the state Assembly today.

She said though outbreak of different types of fever, including dengue and chicken pox besides H1N1, was reported across the state, the health department was well-equipped to contain it.

Replying to a notice for an adjournment motion by the opposition over the issue, the minister said climate changes and scarcity of pure drinking water were among the reasons for the outbreak of many diseases.

"Government hospitals are well-equipped to tackle the outbreak of any type of fever.Adequate amount of medicines are stocked in all state-run pharmacies," she said.

"This year, there is an increase in the outbreak of H1N1 in the southern states...and in Kerala also it has started spreading," she said.

Adequate number of doctors have been appointed from the primary health centres itself, the ministers said.

Multi-level meetings of officials of various departments had been conducted since January to evolve preventive and precautionary mechanisms to tackle the outbreak of dengue and other fevers, she said.

A total of Rs 73 lakh had been sanctioned by the health department in March to implement various preventive measures in this regard, the minister added.

Meanwhile, former Health minister V S Sivakumar (Congress), who moved the notice, said delay in taking precautionary measures and laxity by government had resulted in the spread of fever this year.

As many as 62 people had died due to various diseases in the state even before the onset of monsoon season, he said.

"Over seven lakh people sought treatment for fever in various government hospitals in the last four months. Seven out of eight people died this month due to H1N1," he said.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala blamed lack of coordination between departments and the absence of a scientific waste management system for the 'grave' situation.

Congress-led Opposition later staged a walkout after Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan disallowed their demand for discussion over the issue.