Hyderabad: Fever surveillance spots rise in Covid cases in urban slums

Hyderabad: With the surge in Covid cases in urban slums in parts of Old City, a comprehensive fever surveillance was conducted in 10 slums to identify, track, test, and monitor Covid at community level.

Unlike the previous two waves of Covid, this time cases are also being reported from urban slums, particularly in the Old City areas. A fever surveillance was conducted by the Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), a healthcare NGO, whose representatives also conducted 250 Rapid Antigen Test in 10 slums. It was found that over 95 per cent ofa patients are being treated under home isolation without the need for hospitalisation.

According to the HHF, the fever surveillance is being done in the catchments area of the Basti Clinics which is run by the HHF in the slums. The survey is being done in Hasanagar, Shaheenagar, Rajendranagar and Nawab Sahab Kunta in the vicinity of each clinic.

A team of volunteers is working on the door-to-door vaccination drive in the catchment areas of the basti clinics, are also checking for fever at every door they visit and directing those identified with fever to the basti clinic for evaluation and testing. A separate team of paramedics is running Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on the suspected cases of fevers.

"Over 250 RAT have been done across 10 slums. of them 140 are in Shaheenagar, 50 in Wadi Mahmood, 40 in Hasanagar and 25 in Nawab Sahab Kunta, randomly across households," said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF.

During the surveillance it was found that, in children below 10 years – high grade fever was reported between 100-103 F with complaints of cold and cough.

While in adults fever was reported in 99-101 range with body pains, sore throat, headache, weakness with fatigue, as major complaints with high grade fever."

"Covid positivity rate is averaging around 20 per cent, indicating high degree of community spread in urban slums. As high as 95 per cent and above patients are being managed under home care without the need for hospitalisation," he pointed out. Once the patient tests positive, they are given medication and counselling on Covid protocol and advised home isolation.

As of now no case required oxygen or hospitalisation.

When a patient is positive information is loaded into the tracker and a separate team at control room, comprising counsellors, is calling on the positive cases to check their health status and identify any adverse reaction, like drop in oxygen saturation and shortness of breath.

He informed that over 30 HHF members working in four primary health centres have been infected with Covid during the last one week. Most staff is returning to work in less than seven days, which is good.