THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On February 20 this year, the City Express had carried a story on the need to declare a war on mosquitoes. Three months down the line, the city is sitting on a ticking bomb, with virulent strains of Dengue and Leptospirosis threatening to cause a massive attack once the monsoon rains start pouring. What is of immediate concern is the virulent dengue attacks that have raised their heads in the nearby areas of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts. ‘’Until now, the strains of dengue that caused the fever could be contained with our resources. Now we fear the emergence of other virulent strains of dengue, that have the potential to take a few lives before we learn to contain it,’’ said Dr Sukumaran, state epidemiologist. The dengue virus has four major subtypes, each with slightly different viral proteins. Many scientists believe that the deadly haemorrhagic disease is caused when a person is infected with one subtype and then later with a second subtype. The dengue subtype that has been identified in the adjacent districts of Tamil Nadu might cause symptoms similar to Leptospirosis too, adding to the confusion. ‘’The second exposure to dengue subtype 3 might affect kidney and liver too,’’ said Radhakrishna Pillai, director of RGCB, that has been involved extensively in the diagnosis of dengue and chikungunya cases in the state. While dengue can still be controlled by managing the vectors, that is the mosquitoes, vector control is a near impossibility in the case of leptospirosis. The health officials have been fighting a losing battle with the rodent population as wastes of all kinds continue to pile up across the city. The only way by which the City Corporation is fighting this battle is with rat poison. ‘’This can actually backfire. The rats will have a tendency to have more offspring when we try to wipe them out. Besides, it has been found that it is not just the rodents that cause the disease. We have come across cases where domestic animals like dogs and cats also are carriers,’’ said Dr Sukumaran. Even while a low-intensity pre-monsoon disease prevention drive is on, the environment of the city has gone from bad to the worst possible scenario, with domestic, animal and plastic wastes accumulating in every possible open space, drains and even the roadsides. The only way out, health officials say, is complete removal of solid waste. However, public health experts say that a concerted effort to fight the monsoon-associated diseases is still missing in the city. Apart from the Vilappilsala issue, the political differences between the authorities concerned are also affecting the disease prevention drive. And the time bomb ticks on.
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