Kerela Floods: Leptospirosis and other ailments are the new headache

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Kerala, which was relieved by the absence of an epidemic following its watery devastation, has now found itself in the grip of leptospirosis. The state is seeing an increase in the number of flood related ailments. The Directorate of Health Services, Kerala, issued a lepto alert to all units on Tuesday.

The notification, (copy with this paper) signed by Dr Reena K J, additional director (public health), states, "There is a sudden increase of leptospirosis from Thrissur, Palakkad, Malapuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur district. You may take this situation very seriously and alert the entire clinical team of your district. Any fever with myalgia to be taken as leptospirois." Dr Reena said, "On Tuesday, we had 49 cases of lepto across the state, of which 25 were confirmed leptospirosis. The directives are to ensure that there is no epidemic."

Dr Krishna Kumar, deputy director, DHS, and nodal officer for human resources, said, "We have roped in doctors from various private and government medical colleges. They are also being assisted by paramilitary forces, the Army and doctors from AP, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, etc."

K K Shailaja Teacher, minister who also handles public health, said, "We are seeing a rise in the number of waterborne diseases, especially lepto and are monitoring the situation closely. Also, control rooms are set up in every district and at the village level to monitor cases getting admitted."

Dr Reena said, "Most of the camps that were started post the floods have wound up and people have started going back to their homes. Only those who have lost everything continue to remain in shelter homes. We have sent out groups to visit local hospitals and camps to get data." Dr Girish Mahajan, state health minister from Maharashtra, and his team of doctors from Grant Medical College and JJ Group of Hospitals, returned from Kerala in a special Airforce plane on Monday.

A doctor who was a part of the team said, "We had visited Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, and Ernakulam districts and the situation was terrible. We used to check hundreds of patients with infection, fever, gastroenteritis, leptospirosis, throat infections, etc. We also visited a few tehsil hospitals."

Dr Reena said there was no information on whether paramilitary or army men were diagnosed with waterborne diseases. Dr Wiqar Shaikh, professor of medicine and unit head at Grant Medical College and JJ Group of Hospitals, said, "Many patients who tested positive for Leto Spira IgM test (antibody test for lepto) also developed jaundice, as it affects the liver, too."

Aby Markose, Sunder Singh, Abhishek Salvankar and Gokul Gopi of Goregaon's Vivek College

Volunteers from city college head to Kerala to lend a helping hand
Among the lakhs of volunteers assisting in relief efforts are four college students from Vivek College, Goregaon, all NSS wing members. Aby Markose, Sunder Singh, Abhishek Salvankar, and Gokul Gopi travelled on Sunday for a weeklong programme to assist rescue workers in Kerala. They were accompanied by Narayan Iyer, CEO of Indian Development Foundation, an NGO based in Mumbai.

Narayan Iyer, CEO of NGO Indian Development Foundation, with the Thrissur collector, Anupama

According to Iyer, "The boys are learning life lessons moving among flood-affected people. The college gave them permission to miss lectures and their parents gave them permission to travel."

Iyer lifted material in Palakkad and then met Thrissur collector Anupama on Tuesday under whose guidance material distribution of the lot that came from Mumbai was undertaken. Indian Development Foundation and Vivek Education Society are teammates in this project to collect material and involve students in the last mile. Iyer said, "The boys will be camping in Thrissur and are at present cleaning up a 40-bedded hospital there. They will return to Mumbai in September."

Help pours in
Radhakashan Damani, founder and promoter of D-Mart Group, has donated R10 crore to the Kerala Chief Minister's Relief fund. Damani, who ranks eighth in the list of richest Indians in India, has offered to help in reconstruction activities in Kerala. Damani had expressed sadness at the plight of Kerala, said Damani's staffer Susan Rajani George.

Who donated how much
Central government:
' Rs 920 cr + Rs 2 lakh for the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured
' Residence under Prime Minister Awas Yojana
' Crop insurance
' For restoration of electricity, etc

Kerala government
(public donations): Rs 718 cr
Total collection: Rs 1,638 cr
(Includes contribution from other states: Rs 218.5 cr)

Top donors
(included in Rs 718 crore)
' Indian Airforce: Rs 20 cr
' European Union: Rs 1.53 cr
' Qatar Prime Minister: Rs 34.5 cr
' BCPL, HPCL, IOCL: Rs 25 cr
' Reliance Foundation (Nita Ambani): Rs 21 cr + Rs 51 cr aid
' Adani Foundation: Rs 25 cr + Rs 25 cr for rehabilitation
' Star India (21st Century Fox): Rs 5 cr
' Actor Sushant Singh Rajput: Rs 1 cr
' Fathima Health Care Group: Rs 1 cr + Rs 4 cr aid
' Dr Shamsheer Vayalil: Rs 50 cr
' UAE-based Indian businessman: Rs 18.85 cr

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