The health department has submitted to the Gujarat High Court that the case fatality rate (CFR) due to seasonal flu in Gujarat is much lower than its neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

The submission came in response to public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Manasvi Thapar alleging lack of health infrastructure behind the spurt in cases seasonal flu and water and vector-borne diseases.

The state has recorded 4,819 cases of seasonal flu in 2019, with 149 deaths, resulting in a CFR of 3.09. In the case of Madhya Pradesh, CFR is the highest at 22.25 per cent, followed by Maharashtra’s 9.38 per cent, and Rajasthan’s 4.09 per cent. The CFR in Gujarat is also less than the national average of 4.10 per cent calculated on the basis of 27,285 cases of seasonal flu and 1,118 deaths in 2019.The state has also submitted to the court that the incidence of malaria, dengue and chikungunya, has also declined in the state in 2019 as compared to 2019.

As per the data submitted by the government, 10,342 cases of malaria were found in the state until July 2018, which was reduced to 5225 cases in the current year. The government has also submitted that not a single death has taken place this year due to malaria.

Similarly, 776 confirmed cases of dengue were found until July 2018, whereas this year, the number of cases is around 187.
The number of the sample tested has also reduced from 26,142 to 21,710. Also, the state has pointed out that 212 cases of chikungunya were recorded in 2018 till July, whereas this year, the number of such cases has reduced to 187.

The government has also submitted that it has taken concrete steps for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases and strict monitoring is being carried out. It also submitted that a Fever Helpline 104 has been made functional under Malaria Mukt Gujarat-2022 Abhiyan for timely diagnosis and complete treatment for malaria cases.

The state has also informed the court that it has allocated Rs 10,800 crore for health and family welfare for the current financial year, which is 5.27 per cent of the total budget of the state. Meanwhile, the court has adjourned the hearing of the matter until September 5.