Fever cases cross 2 lakh in Kerala, death toll touches 41

Thiruvananthapuram: The number of fever cases crossed 2 lakh in Kerala as outbreaks of contagious diseases like H1N1, dengue fever and rat fever continued to claim more lives. On Friday, two people died of fever in the state.

Two people died of dengue fever in Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. The deceased are identified as Dhanish (13) from Thrissur's Chazhoor and Vijayan (56) from Kattakada in Thiruvananthapuram.

A 13-year-old boy who died due to fever in nearby Kuttippuram, was confirmed to have succumbed to the H1N1 virus, Health authorities said. The boy, a native of Painkannur near Kuttippuram, had died a few days ago.

District Health Officer R Renuka on Thursday confirmed that the death was due to H1N1 virus infection, an official statement said. She also urged the public to be vigilant against all such fevers.

Besides H1N1, people should be vigilant against dengue and leptospirosis as well, she said.

With this, the number of deaths due to contagious diseases touched 41 in the state.

Sources close to the health department revealed that Malappuram, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram reported the highest number of fever cases.

In view of the rise in contagious diseases, schools have started cleaning activities to curb the outbreak.

The local self-government institutions have been facing criticism for lapses in executing pre-monsoon cleaning activities and proper waste management.

Fever clinics have been opened in major hospitals across the state. The health department urged the public to exercise caution to avoid contagious diseases.

(With PTI inputs)