Extensive training for doctors and officials of local bodies as well as help desks in all the four international airports of Kerala are some of the latest steps taken by the state government to tackle monkeypox that were recently reported from here. State Health Minister Veena George while detailing the strict preventive measures said that help desks have been started at Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Kozhikode and Kannur international airports.
The help desk, manned by trained personnel, will help detect monkeypox symptoms in foreigners, provide them with specialist care and will also be used to address queries, the minister said in a release. Also, people returning from countries where monkeypox was reported in the last 21 days and showing symptoms such as fever, rash or blisters, headache, body aches, muscle aches, sore throat and difficulty swallowing food , they should contact the help desk. At airports, the release said.
The minister further said in the release that isolation systems have been set up in the districts and those showing symptoms should stay at home in a ventilated room for 21 days. During this period, they should not come into close contact with pregnant women, children or people who have compromised immunity in the household, the release said.
It said to call direction 104, 1056, 0471 2552056 immediately. It further said that after conducting a training program for 1,200 government and private sector doctors, the health department is conducting a comprehensive training program for the prevention of monkeypox.
This training will be provided to doctors of private hospitals, private doctors and doctors in the field of AYUSH in collaboration with Indian Medical Association. Apart from this, training is also being organized for the employees of local institutions in collaboration with the Health Department.
The training program for health volunteers like ASHA workers will be organized on 18th July and public can watch it live through https://youtu.be/FC1gsr9y1BI link. It said that any doubts of the people can also be resolved during the programme.
The minister had said on Saturday that the health department is also monitoring people with chickenpox or similar symptoms to ensure that they do not have monkeypox. She had also said that random samples will be tested to find out if anyone else is infected.
“Surveillance at the airport will be intensified. As part of this, the health department will hold discussions with airport officials. If symptoms are found in anyone, steps will be taken to isolate them and ambulances have been arranged to shift them to hospitals,” the minister had said in a release. A central team was sent to the state after the first case of monkeypox in the country was reported from Kerala on Thursday.
The first case is of a Keralite who had returned from the United Arab Emirates on July 12. All his contacts were identified and 11 of his co-travellers, his family members, an auto driver, a taxi driver and a dermatologist from a private hospital were identified. Where the infected person first sought treatment, they are under observation.
A special alert has been issued to five districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam for being co-passengers of the infected person on the Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram IndiGo flight that landed here on July 12.
read all breaking news, today’s fresh newswatch top videos And live TV Here.