Dengue fever and chikungunya have emerged as major health challenges for Kerala, along with the recent outbreak of avian flu in Alappuzha and Kottayam, Health Minister Veena George said here on Friday.
“Although avian flu has not affected humans in Kerala, globally, 800 people have been impacted. The flu could be disastrous if it transmits to humans, and the Health department is closely monitoring the situation,” she said while inaugurating the concluding session of the Trivandrum Management Association’s annual convention, TRIMA.
The Minister said the State government considered ‘One Health’ a vital collaborative effort to address public health concerns. “Since the outbreaks of Nipah and COVID-19, the concept of One Health has gained significant attention. The State government has established a One Health Institute and centres in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. We have trained 2,50,000 volunteers to report and connect with the government and local communities across Kerala,” she said.
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Understanding the importance of One Health, the State government has revised its health policy, and a public health Act was passed by the Assembly last year. “We have established teams at the local level, including officers from the departments of Health and Animal Husbandry, Kerala Water Authority and Pollution Control Board, with the panchayat president as the chairman. These committees will help quickly identify infection outbreaks and respond locally, ensuring close monitoring of the situation,” she added.
Collective efforts
The Minister emphasised the need for collective efforts of various departments to effectively combat the threat of infectious diseases. She also expressed hope that ongoing studies by ICMR on the spillover process of Nipah would yield conclusions this year.
T.P. Sreenivasan, former Ambassador and Chairman of TRIMA, Air Marshal (retd.) I.P. Vipin, Co-chair, TRIMA, Ritu Singh Chauhan, National Professional Officer, IHR, WHO, C Padmakumar, president of TMA, and Wing Commander Ragashree D. Nair, Secretary of TMA, also spoke on the occasion.
Later, speaking at a panel discussion, E. Sreekumar, Director of the Institute of Advanced Virology, said climate change was a significant factor intensifying public health challenges. “Climate change contributes to heat stress, water scarcity, food availability issues, and altered rainfall patterns leading to flooding and increased cases of waterborne diseases. These changes affect pathogens and disease vectors, altering the severity of many diseases in Kerala,” he said.
To mitigate these issues, Dr. Sreekumar suggested enhancing disease surveillance, early diagnostics, effective vaccination, and preventing man-animal conflicts.
Anish T.S., Additional Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Medical College, Manjeri and M.R. Rajagopal, founder chairman, Pallium India also spoke.
