At a time when the state is busy battling the dreaded coronavirus, the Kamrup (M) health department is going all out in order to ensure a decline in the number of dengue cases this year in the district.
The authorities are focusing on door-to-door survey and blood slide collection in order to prevent rise in the number of vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and Japanese encephalitis cases in the city.
"We are taking precautions much ahead of time this year and hope that the measures taken by us will show results and we see fewer cases this time. We are conducting community surveillance for coronavirus as well as vector-borne diseases, especially in containment zones and buffer areas,” the joint director of Kamrup (Metro) district health services, Dr Ganesh Saikia, informed G Plus.
Government of Assam has taken a pro-active step of conducting community surveillance program at village level across the state. As such, the health workers are visiting homes to identify minor flu like cases / respiratory infections. If the attending doctor advices for collection of blood samples for a particular test based on the symptoms, the test is carried out.
Altogether 1,800 doctors, 9,000 auxiliary nurse midwives, 3,000 multipurpose health workers, 650 community health officers, 1,100 lab technicians and 30,000 accredited social health activists (ASHAs) are involved in the mission.
Community Surveillance Programme (CSP) would help in detection of COVID-19 related symptoms at an early stage, said Dr Saikia.
While there have been no cases of full-blown cases of vector-borne diseases in Kamrup (M), districts from different parts of Assam have so far reported at least 84 cases of malaria, 14 cases of dengue and 79 cases of acute encephalitis syndrome. There have been three cases of Japanese encephalitis as well. However, no deaths have been reported so far this year.
It is to be mentioned that in 2019, Assam recorded a total of 2307 cases for Malaria. Further, the state saw 167 cases of Dengue, 2652 positive cases for acute encephalitis syndrome and 642 cases for JE, as per the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.
According to experts, the vector-borne disease is characterized by high fever, severe headache, rashes, muscle and joint pains, nausea and vomiting and loss of appetite among other symptoms.
Dengue is a viral disease which is transmitted by the bite of Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Further, the symptoms of the disease do not become apparent immediately and the patient only develops them after 5-6 days. Dengue occurs in two forms namely the dengue fever and the dengue hemorrhagic fever- which is a more severe and fatal form of the disease.
Malaria is a vector-borne disease which is transmitted among humans via mosquitoes and insects. It is caused by Plasmodium parasite and some of its symptoms include fever, chills, vomiting, headache, seizures and sweating combined with a loss in red blood cells.
Experts say that the inaccessibility of health services in remote areas of the state results in more number of cases being reported in the state. Additionally, humidity and a relatively warmer climate further promote the breeding of the vectors.
Officials from the state health & family welfare department informed that as part of their sensitization creation measures, they ask residents to keep their surroundings clean and to keep clean water covered in their houses.
We are making efforts to ensure that the health services reach maximum people and to sensitize the masses about various vector-borne diseases including Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis,” said a source at the National Health Mission, Assam.
On the other hand, officials of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) informed G Plus they undertake fogging on a continuous basis to check the breeding of mosquitoes throughout the year.