Less seasonal diseases due to Covid in erstwhile Khammam in last year

Khammam: Less dengue and malaria cases were registered in the erstwhile Khammam district. Thanks to Covid-19, which made people to take all precautions. Seasonal diseases haven't registered for the past one and half year as people have taken all precautions during first and second waves of coronavirus, informed the officials.

Before Covid-19, several number of dengue, malaria, chikungunya and other diseases used to register in the district. Several people would be hospitalised and district authorities used to witness about 100 to 200 deaths during the season. More number of seasonal diseases cases used to be recorded in Bonakal, Chintakani, Enkoor, Karepalli, Kamepalli, Mudigonda, Kusumanchi, Raghunadhapalem, Khammam urban, Sathupalli, Vemsoor and Penuballi mandals under Khammam district, informed health and medical department officials. But now, the number of cases registered are very less, they added.

In the last few years, more cases of malaria were registered in Bhadradri-Kothagudem, an agency district with more tribal population. After coronavirus outbreak, the number fell, they informed and added that Covid induced lockdown and people strictly following norms are the main reasons.

Besides this, sanitation works on regular basis, conducting Palle Pragathi and Pattana Pragathi programmes in the last two years also helped in reducing spread of seasonal diseases.

Kothagudem district health and medical department official informed that steps taken to curb coronavirus helped in containing spread of seasonal diseases. Tribal people of agency villages, who were afraid of seasonal diseases every year, were now relieved as there were no cases this year. Regular sanitation in all panchayats, conducting Palle Pragathi and Pattana Pragathi works in villages helped in this regard, he added.

According to official statistics, the number of seasonal diseases cases recorded in Khammam and Kothadugem districts are like this: