Red alert in Gujarat against leptospirosis

GANDHINAGAR, AUGUST 1: The Health department of Gujarat Government has issued a red alert against leptospirosis, which has claimed six liv...

GANDHINAGAR, AUGUST 1: The Health department of Gujarat Government has issued a red alert against leptospirosis, which has claimed six lives in the state so far.

Gujarat Health Minister Ashok Bhatt said in a statement here today that all steps had been taken to check the spread of the disease in South Gujarat districts of Surat, Valsad, Navsari and Dangs, situated at the border of Maharashtra, where the disease has alrady claimed 28 lives.

A meeting of officers of health, animal husbandry andagriculture department and ditrict officer to take steps to prevent its spread and the state government has allocated a sum of Rs. one crore for the medicine and other measures to control the disease.

Bhatt has also spoken with his counterpart in MaharashtraDigvijay Khanvilkar on phone about the steps to prevent the disease and offered cooperation and help to control the disease.

Referring to deaths due to leptospirosis in Surat,Valsad, Navsari and Dangs, he said there were 50 suspected cases of the disease in May, June and July and there were six deaths reported so far.

Bhatt said in 1997 there weere 76 deaths whereas in 1998there were 42 deaths and 1999 there were 31 deaths as compared to six this year.