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Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...oea-08-toll-nearly-3K/articleshow/5032231.cms
Afraid of flu? Diarrhoea '08 toll nearly 3K
Kartikeya, TNN 20 September 2009, 04:03am IST
MUMBAI: Swine flu, which has taken 212 lives in India to date, forced several panicky state governments into closing schools and offices,
monitoring footfalls in malls and multiplexes and issuing advisories during the festive season. Meanwhile, other infectious and vector-born diseases that have plagued the country for decades continue on their deadly course without a fraction of the media attention.
Recent data put out by the Union ministry of health and family welfare reveals that since 2006, such diseases have been consistently killing more than 5,000 Indians every year despite the fact that the Centre spent over Rs 1,500 crore under the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme to tackle them. In 2008, diarrhoea alone was responsible for the deaths of 2,841 Indians. In the same year, the combined toll from the six common diseases-diarrhoea, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis, typhoid, leptospirosis and malaria-stood at a staggering 5,567 lives.
Medical experts say that the main reason for diarrhoea, malaria, dengue and leptospirosis still claiming lives is lack of awareness. "It is good that the media spread so much awareness about swine flu. But diarrhoea alone has killed nearly 10,000 people since 2006,'' said a Union health ministry official.
After diarrhoea, malaria has emerged as the second biggest killer. It claimed 935 lives in 2008, 164 of them from the state. Japanese encephalitis, which spreads through mosquitos and maintains its natural cycle in pigs, killed 684 people in 2008. The consumption of contaminated water resulted in 510 deaths from viral hepatitis and 338 from typhoid.
The data reveals some good news on the dengue front-the total dengue deaths are down from 184 in 2006 to 80 last year. But there's bad news too-the disease is now spreading to rural areas. "This is because of rapid urbanisation and change in water storage practices,'' said another official.
Afraid of flu? Diarrhoea '08 toll nearly 3K
Kartikeya, TNN 20 September 2009, 04:03am IST
MUMBAI: Swine flu, which has taken 212 lives in India to date, forced several panicky state governments into closing schools and offices,
monitoring footfalls in malls and multiplexes and issuing advisories during the festive season. Meanwhile, other infectious and vector-born diseases that have plagued the country for decades continue on their deadly course without a fraction of the media attention.
Recent data put out by the Union ministry of health and family welfare reveals that since 2006, such diseases have been consistently killing more than 5,000 Indians every year despite the fact that the Centre spent over Rs 1,500 crore under the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme to tackle them. In 2008, diarrhoea alone was responsible for the deaths of 2,841 Indians. In the same year, the combined toll from the six common diseases-diarrhoea, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis, typhoid, leptospirosis and malaria-stood at a staggering 5,567 lives.
Medical experts say that the main reason for diarrhoea, malaria, dengue and leptospirosis still claiming lives is lack of awareness. "It is good that the media spread so much awareness about swine flu. But diarrhoea alone has killed nearly 10,000 people since 2006,'' said a Union health ministry official.
After diarrhoea, malaria has emerged as the second biggest killer. It claimed 935 lives in 2008, 164 of them from the state. Japanese encephalitis, which spreads through mosquitos and maintains its natural cycle in pigs, killed 684 people in 2008. The consumption of contaminated water resulted in 510 deaths from viral hepatitis and 338 from typhoid.
The data reveals some good news on the dengue front-the total dengue deaths are down from 184 in 2006 to 80 last year. But there's bad news too-the disease is now spreading to rural areas. "This is because of rapid urbanisation and change in water storage practices,'' said another official.