Thiruvananthapuram, June 25 (BPNS) :
Following a surge in fever cases in the state, the health department urged the people not to take it lightly. The department points out that fever is a common symptom of Covid-19, dengue, leptospirosis, malaria, chikungunya, scrub typhus, H1N1, chickenpox, Zika fever, West Nile virus, monkey fever, and Japanese encephalitis, and thus self-diagnosis and self-medication might prove fatal. The need to seek urgent medical attention has also been highlighted.
The state on June 24 had 13,809 fever cases. In the case of Covid-19, 4098 cases were reported on the day. Cases of dengue (14), leptospirosis (3), chicken pox (22), H1N1 (2) and scrub typhus (2) were also reported on the day.
“The case with fever is that its presence suggests an infectious cause. It might be a bacterial or viral infection. But fever is not always present with an infection. These are the times of seasonal influenza. But fluctuating temperatures with intermittent rainfall followed by warm days are conducive to the mosquito-borne diseases. Thus seeking medical care is important,” said a health official.
At the same time, state health minister Veena George said that even in the case of seasonal influenza it can cause severe illness or death, particularly among high-risk groups including the very young, the elderly, pregnant women, health workers, and those with serious medical conditions. However, most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention.
“One can’t take chances. Fever is a symptom and not an illness. Thus knowing the reason for the fever is important. And that can be determined by a medical professional. Self-diagnosis or self-medication only helps to invite trouble. Also if one has fever along with other symptoms like vomiting, nausea, stomach ache, chills and muscle ache and others seek medical attention,” said Veena.
The state in this month alone had 2, 64,372 fever cases and two deaths.
The number of dengue cases reported was 487 along with two deaths.
26 malaria cases, 193 leptospirosis cases (six deaths), 542 chicken pox cases (two deaths), 15 H1N1 cases (two deaths), 46 scrub typhus cases (two deaths), and two Zika cases were also reported this month (till June 24).
