Kothagudem shivers as entire district in grip of fever

Kothagudem: More than 50 people have died in the past couple of months as the district is in the grip of seasonal diseases. Most of the people have died due the diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria as they could not have access to the medical facility in their villages and hamlets.

The condition has worsened during the past 15 days as the hospitals-both government and private are flooded with patients suffering from high fever and body pain. According to one survey, at least two persons in every household in the district are down with fever.

The official record says 188,977 people diagnosed with fever since last January till date in the district. Several hundred people with fevers and body and muscle pains are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the district. Every hospital whether it is government or private is overcrowded with patients.

At least 52 people have died due to fever in this month. According to officials, most of the hospitals are receiving cases related to malaria and dengue. Particularly, in the industrial areas of the Palvoncha, Burgumphad, and Kothagudem, at least 600 patients visit hospitals for check-up every day.

Moreover, as most of the government hospitals or primary health centres lack facilities like platelet count machines, the patients are referred to the major hospitals in the district headquarters to get the platelets count done as many patients are suffering due low platelet counts.

In this situation, the private hospitals cashing in the opportunity and fleecing the poor patients from rural areas who even cannot afford normal treatment.

On the other hand, the health department is not giving exact detail how many people are actually suffering from the fever and other seasonal diseases in the district. They said as many 188,977 have been reported suffering from fever since January.

According to sources, in Manuguru, Yellandhu, Aswarao pet, Burgumphad and Bhadrchalam areas nearly 52 people died of fever. K Venkatwaswlu, a resident of Sitaramapatnam, said he has been suffering from fever and body pain since last 15 days. He has been diagnosed with typhoid, he added.

D Laxmi, from the Sarapaka, which is an industrial area, said that she is suffering from fever and her platelet count has gone down. When asked District Health and Welfare Officer Dr Singha Raju said due to lack of sanitation, vector-borne disease have infected the villages in the district.

My department is doing its best to control the mosquito menace in the district, particularly in villages. The teams of the department regularly visit all villages and taking the all measures to eradicate the mosquito menace.” But the officer refused to give any detail how many people died of dengue in the district.