List of Various Fevers inflicting Kerala state: Symptoms and remedies

(image courtesy: malayalam.oneindia.com)

Labeling Kerala as 'God's own country' in the world tourism sector will not provide any immunity to the poor state from the different types of fevers (many times new and unheard fevers) attacking a good number of the people living in the state every year. For the past seven to eight years thousands of people became the victims of many kinds of fevers. More and more new fevers are testing their effectiveness on the poor Malaylees each and every day.

People of Kerala are accepted for their personal cleanliness and hygiene. Normally every Keralite makes a daily-bath. They don't forget to wash and clean their vehicles and pets as often as needed. But when it comes to community hygiene, it is a sad part that many of them never bother about their surroundings and do not mind much to keep clean the common places such as roads, rivers and dumping yards which are the breeding places of most disease causing germs.

Over the past many years, people living in Kerala are being inflicted by several peculiar types of new fevers which are not known to the people themselves and the people of their neighboring states. These fevers are like a ghost that is chasing them and thousands of valuable lives are succumbing to these fevers as a repeated affair every year.

List of peculiar fevers and communicable diseases in Kerala in 2015:

Dengue fever: 

It is caused and spread by aedies egypti mosquitoes. High fever and severe muscular pains are the symptoms. Due to the severeness of the pains, it is also called as 'bone breaking fever'. Mosquito eradication and protection from its bite is the only remedy for it. It is very dangerous.

Rat-bite fever (RBF): It is a contagious disease caused by two different bacteria in two different continents. Rodents, rats and mouse are the carriers of this disease. Consuming contaminated food or water also can cause this disease. If not given proper and timely treatment, it can be fatal.

Chickungunya / Chicken Guinea (gunya):

The disease chickungunya has nothing to do with chicken. It is another disease caused by virus and spread by certain mosquitoes. High fever and head and body pains associated with overwhelming weakness and tiredness is the major symptoms of this. Prevention and protection from mosquito bites is the only solution to this disease also which has no cure medically.

Malaria and cholera which are borne by mosquitoes and contaminated water are ancient diseases still hunting the people of Kerala mostly in the rainy seasons.

Monkey fever: Also known as Kyasanur forest disease (kfd), monkey fever is a rare disease recently found in the Kerala Karnataka border districts. Caused by virus and carried by ticks, rodents, birds etc it affects monkeys and human beings. It is a vector borne disease.

Swine flu (H1N1) pig fever: As the name suggests, swine flue is an influenza that affects pigs through virus. Earlier it was believed that it does not affect humans. But in the past, a couple of years ago it spread to human beings and created huge panic as it is highly contagious and fatal.

Typhoid fever: It is not a new disease. It is caused by bacteria and spread through contaminated food and water.

Scrub typhus: It is another disease caused by the bite of a mite. It is spread from animals to humans. It is an infectious disease easily curable but untimely treatment can lead to lever or renal failure and death.

Tick fever (ചെള്ള്  പനി): It is the latest fever in the list to attack Kerala. It is a bacterial disease transmitted by certain kinds of ticks. This fever is caused in both humans and pet animals. Avoiding contact with ticks are the only means for prevention.

Black fever (काला अजार/ കരിമ്പനി ): After Malaria, kala azar is the deadliest and most neglected disease in the world. It is caused by certain female sand flies. The initial symptoms may not be very impressive. only skin sores and ulcers are found at the site of the fly bite. After few months only weakness and prolonged fever is felt.

Tomato fever: It was reported a couple of months ago in the state, the health authorities had declared that it is eliminated. But some other fresh case was reported from Thrissur district yesterday (1st July, 2015) again. Symptoms are itching and blisters in limbs and mouth. This disease is spread through the air.

There is an allegation from some quarters that the health department under the health minister is not taking proper precautionary measures to arrest such diseases before they make their entry. 

We all know and say, "prevention is better than cure"...! 
Why don't we at least try to practice what we preach...?