The Hindu               05.09.2013

Action plan to control dengue

Special Correspondent

A fortnight-long special action plan has been formulated for the capital city, which continues to bear the brunt of over 70 per cent of the total dengue case burden of the entire State. The district had reported around 450 confirmed cases of dengue in May, which rose to over 1,000 confirmed cases each in the months of June and July.

In August, the number of confirmed dengue cases came down to 470 after the district health administration launched an intensive action plan focussing on 10 hot spots for dengue in the district, with a health official put in charge of the control measures in each area. The same strategy is to be adopted for the high-risk spots identified in the 40 Corporation wards where the Health Services field workers do not have a presence. All control activities will be coordinated by a team of health officials, including the Corporation’s Health Officer, officials from the district medical office and the Surveillance Unit and one faculty member of Community Medicine of the MCH.

The Hindu               05.09.2013

Palliative care to the doorstep

Staff Reporter

Attingal municipality’s ‘Palliative care at doorstep’ programme aims to ensure support to terminally ill persons within the municipality limits. The programme makes use of the services of a trained nurse and volunteers.

Vice-chairman of the Municipality M. Pradeep said the programme was launched two weeks ago.

A survey was conducted by accredited social health activists (ASHA) volunteers and they identified as many as 49 terminally sick persons in Attingal area who needed home care, he said.

A trained nurse along with the volunteers would visit the homes of these 49 persons once a week and provide a range of healthcare services such as checking of blood pressure and temperature; cleaning and dressing wounds; and administering of pain killers, he said.

“The volunteers are selected from areas nearer to the patient resides. The workers, besides attending to the needs of the patients, also give training to caregivers to attend to the basic needs of the terminally ill person. The volunteers make daily visits to the homes of those patients who have none to attend to them,” he said.

The civic body also provides its ambulance to shift patients to the Government Medical College Hospital and Regional Cancer Centre for treatment.

Under the Attingal municipality’s programme, a trained nnurse and volunteers will visit the homes of those in need of care.