‘No vector-borne disease outbreak in Tamil Nadu’

CHENNAI: There are no outbreaks of vector-borne diseases in Tamil Nadu at present, state health department officials said adding that Dengue, Chikungunya and Leptospirosis seem to be of concern. They added that Malaria and Encephalitis cases have seen a decline in the state over the years.

“There is usually a surge in some vector-borne diseases during the beginning of the year with more breeding of the mosquitoes. But currently, there is no major outbreak,” said a senior official from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

Meanwhile, the officials from the department said that the government is keeping a check on the vector-borne diseases and regular reports are being sent to the National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme.

The State had seen a considerable rise in the number of dengue cases in 2022 as 6,430 cases and eight deaths were reported due to dengue, which is the highest in the last three years. While the state logged 6,039 cases in 2021, it saw 2,410 cases and 8,517 cases in 2020 and 2019 respectively. Five deaths were also reported in the year 2019. This year, Tamil Nadu reported 2,019 cases till March.

Chikungunya also saw a slight surge in numbers in 2022 as 181 cases were reported compared to the 153 cases reported in 2021. However, the state health department officials say that the incidence is now under control since State has reported 30 cases of Chikungunya until March 2023.

In the case of Leptospirosis, State recorded 2,612 cases and one death in 2022, and 755 cases until March this year. The officials say that rainfall has led to an increased risk of infection. The state had recorded 1,046 cases in 2021.

Even as the state aims to be Filaria-free by 2030, it recorded 8,023 cases in 2022. The officials say that most of the Filaria endemic districts have reported less than one per cent micro Filaria rate. The State also provides financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month to those affected for effective management of the disease.

Meanwhile, the numbers of Malaria remained in control with numbers coming down by 50 per cent from the previous year. A total of 354 cases were reported in 2022 against 772 in 2021. Until March 2023, 60 cases of Malaria have been reported in Tamil Nadu. The State Government received National Award in 2021 for excellence in Malaria elimination from the Government of India and the state health department is continuing to take measures to ensure that more districts attain Malaria free status. Currently, 31 districts have attained the status of Malaria free districts.

The number of cases of Japanese Encephalitis dropped to 28 in 2022 when compared to 38 in 2021, while four cases and one death have been reported in 2023 until March.