Infectious bacterial infections spread in the aftermath of disastrous floods in Kerala.
All possible steps for extending relief to the flood-affected Kerala are being taken under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is personally monitoring the situation, Union Minister JP Nadda said on Friday.
As many as 50 doctors had been kept on standby for deployment in affected areas at short notice while 12 public health teams -- each comprising public health specialist, microbiologist, and an entomologist -- kept ready, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare told the media during his visit to a hospital in Kochi and a few relief camps.
The Minister said a stock of 48 essential drugs was also kept ready for dispatch in case of emergency.
He said that on the state's request, a first tranche of 48 essential drugs, weighing about 73 metric tonnes, was airlifted by the Indian Air Force to Kerala. These included a total of 2.25 crore chlorine tablets, 80 MT bleaching powder, and four lakh sanitary napkins.
Insecticides/larvicides and fogging machines were also mobilised. As many as 18,00,000 capsules of drug for prophylaxis and treatment of leptospirosis or rat fever were also supplied.
Mr Nadda said that norms were relaxed and additional Rs 18.71 crore approved for the southern state through the National Health Mission.
He said that a 40-member team from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences, Bengaluru, had been deployed to undertake psychosocial assessment and community-based care.
The National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi is monitoring the situation vis-a-vis disease outbreak. Event-based daily reporting for epidemic diseases is being followed from August 21.