Gaja Cyclone: Mobile medical units deployed in cyclone-hit districts

TRICHY: As an epidemic threat looms large over Gaja-hit areas, the government deployed 296 mobile medical units on Saturday across six districts to conduct health check-ups at rescue shelters and areas that witnessed destruction.


The mobile medical units would be operated in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai,

Cuddalore

and Ramanathapuram districts, minister for health and family welfare C Vijayabaskar said in a statement. He said that out of the 487 rescue shelters, medical camps have been put-up at 185. "So far, treatment has been provided to a total of 43,825 people in the medical camps," he said.

Apart from the mobile medical units, entomology teams have been deputed to the six districts to conduct inspection on the possible outbreak of diseases. Health inspectors along with respective block health officers have been assigned to supervise the sanitation measures. Experts warned that outbreak of water-borne diseases -cholera, typhoid and leptospirosis - and vector-borne diseases - dengue and other viral fevers - was possible if proper preventive measures weren't taken. Health officials though said that there weren't any risk of major disease breakouts yet.

An official from the health department said that several stocked vaccines might lose potency as power supply wasn't restored across several areas. "For another 48 hours more we can preserve the vaccines, before which it should be shifted to places where there are generator facility," the official said.

Deputy director of health services (DDHS) Thanjavur Dr I Raveendran told TOI that medical teams would be conducting check-ups particularly at three revenue blocks - Sethubhavachatram, Peravurani and Pattukottai in the district. He said that a total of 42 mobile units have been deputed for the district. "During our initial inspection, we found a few people suffering from viral fever. Apart from this nothing was major," he said.

As a part of ensuring that there's no outbreak of water-borne diseases, the department will monitor the chlorine levels in drinking water supply across the flood-affected areas of the six districts. For this, 15,000 chlorination test kits were provided to the respective officials.

For Pudukottai, apart from the existing mobile medical units, six teams from Trichy district were sent to conduct health check-ups and inspections. "Since several parts of Pudukottai were hit, the district needed more health officials and that's why we have sent additional teams," a source from Trichy health department said.

At Nagapattinam, health department secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan and revenue and disaster management mitigation minister R B Udayakumar sent mobile medical units to the affected coastal regions of the district. Food minister R Kamaraj also sent 43 medical teams to

Tiruvarur district

.