Director of Health Services reviews fever situation The Health Department has directed its health supervisors to strengthen disease prevention and control activities at the field-level as viral fevers, including dengue and H1N1 cases, may go up as the monsoon intensifies. The Director of Health Services (DHS) convened a meeting on Friday to review the epidemic situation in various districts. Diagnostic and treatment facilities and an adequate supply of drugs have been kept ready in hospitals and laboratories. Vector-control activities, including source reduction, fogging and spraying, and chlorination, are being carried out in all districts to check outbreaks of vector-borne and water-borne diseases. Outbreak patterns Health officials said the disease and outbreak patterns in the districts were the same as in every monsoon season. The situation in Alappuzha was under control. No more fresh cases of Japanese Encephalitis had been reported. Though 34 cases of H1N1 had been reported, it was not because the district was particularly vulnerable to the infection, rather as part of a survey, more samples had been sent for testing. Only a few samples were being sent for testing from the districts. These were strictly for surveillance purpose as the virus was in circulation and community spread of the infection had been established. Those who tested positive for H1N1 in Alappuzha were cases that belonged to Category A (those having mild infection) that did not require treatment with Tamiflu. H1N1 infection was being reported from all districts. On Sunday, eleven cases of H1N1 were reported, including five cases from Thiruvananthaputam, one each from Kollam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Kannur and two from Alappuzha. Though two H1N1 deaths had been reported this season, both were cases where the patients had severe co-morbidities such a diabetes and renal diseases that rendered them vulnerable to the viral attack, it was pointed out at the meeting. Tamiflu The DHS said all arrangements had been made to supply Tamiflu tablets to private hospitals that requested the drug. Five ventilators had also been provided to various tertiary care government hospitals specifically for H1N1 cases. Health officials said most viral fevers would resolve once they had run their course, and people should take good rest, have nutritious food and plenty of hot fluids. They should avoid going to workplaces or crowded places if they had cold or fever to avoid spreading the infection. It was pointed out that the crowded living environment in police camps and school hostels made these places especially vulnerable to H1N1 outbreaks, and any sick person should be kept under quarantine to prevent the spread of infection.