Health authorities sound diphtheria alert in Chennai
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:10.08.2019
The directorate of public health has asked doctors in the city to prescribe children coming with sore throat and fever with erythromycin, an antibiotic that is used to treat diphtheria. The recommendation came after the Institute of Child Health (ICH) told authorities that two children in Chennai showed symptoms of the bacterial disease.
Although sore throat is commonly seen in tonsillitis and laryngitis, the health department has insisted that doctors should not rule out diphtheria. “We don’t have the results for these cases yet, but we have decided to be cautious. We have assumed that they have diphtheria because we have seen an outbreak in the neighbouring states and in some districts of Tamil Nadu,” said director of public health Dr K Kolandaisamy.
On Thursday and Friday, the ICH reported that two children -- aged seven and 13 from Pammal and Seven Wells -- showed symptoms of the disease. About 50 urban and village health nurses were sent to schools and balwadis in the area for mass vaccination of children. By the end of the day, more than 4,000 children were vaccinated. In some primary health centres (PHC), regular vaccination camps conducted on Wednesdays and Fridays were postponed.
The government has asked doctors’ association to inform paediatricians, ENT specialists, MBBS doctors to notify the health department if they come across swollen glands, fever nasal discharge and malaise besides grey membrane covering the throat.
Resurgence of diphtheria, doctors said, was largely because of two reasons. Analysis of the state statistics showed some school students skipped booster DPT doses at the age of five. Studies have shown that the effect of diphtheria vaccines and booster fade away by the time children turn seven. “ Data shows that overall case-fatality rate for diphtheria is 5% to 10%. In children,death ratescan goup to 20%,” said Dr Balasubramanian S, medical director of Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital. However, introducing vaccines in children and pregnant women reduces incidence.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:10.08.2019
The directorate of public health has asked doctors in the city to prescribe children coming with sore throat and fever with erythromycin, an antibiotic that is used to treat diphtheria. The recommendation came after the Institute of Child Health (ICH) told authorities that two children in Chennai showed symptoms of the bacterial disease.
Although sore throat is commonly seen in tonsillitis and laryngitis, the health department has insisted that doctors should not rule out diphtheria. “We don’t have the results for these cases yet, but we have decided to be cautious. We have assumed that they have diphtheria because we have seen an outbreak in the neighbouring states and in some districts of Tamil Nadu,” said director of public health Dr K Kolandaisamy.
On Thursday and Friday, the ICH reported that two children -- aged seven and 13 from Pammal and Seven Wells -- showed symptoms of the disease. About 50 urban and village health nurses were sent to schools and balwadis in the area for mass vaccination of children. By the end of the day, more than 4,000 children were vaccinated. In some primary health centres (PHC), regular vaccination camps conducted on Wednesdays and Fridays were postponed.
The government has asked doctors’ association to inform paediatricians, ENT specialists, MBBS doctors to notify the health department if they come across swollen glands, fever nasal discharge and malaise besides grey membrane covering the throat.
Resurgence of diphtheria, doctors said, was largely because of two reasons. Analysis of the state statistics showed some school students skipped booster DPT doses at the age of five. Studies have shown that the effect of diphtheria vaccines and booster fade away by the time children turn seven. “ Data shows that overall case-fatality rate for diphtheria is 5% to 10%. In children,death ratescan goup to 20%,” said Dr Balasubramanian S, medical director of Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital. However, introducing vaccines in children and pregnant women reduces incidence.
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