Announcement

**Snowy Owl** · September 17, 2006, 04:41 AM

KERALA

150 more beds, Rs 25 lakh to tackle Chikungunya in Kerala
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=323160&sid=REG

Alappuzha, Sept 17:

The Kerala government today announced a special package, including Rs 25 lakh for community health centres and setting up of 150 more beds in the Cherthala Taluk hospital, to tackle the Chikangunya outbreak in the area.

State Finance Minister T M Thomas Issac and Health Minister P K Sreemathy today visited the Cherthala 'Taluk' Hospital, where more than 600 people have been admitted with suspected chikungunya fever.

Later, the two ministers convened a meeting of the local representatives including MP K S Manoj, MLAs P P Thilothaman and A M Arif, and chairpersons of the Alappuzha and Cherthala municipalities.

District Medical Officer, Dr M K Velayudhan, said of the 70 samples sent to the Pune Virology Institute from Cherthala, 11 had tested positive. The maximum number of positive cases were from the Kakakkarappally village, he added.

Later, talking to reporters, Issac said funds would be no constraint and it was the priority of the state government to curb the spread of the disease.

He said Rs 25 lakh will be sanctioned immediately for community health centres in Cherthala. Another Rs five lakh have been sanctioned for the Cherthala Taluk Hospital to buy medicines.

A special package would be announced for the primary health centres also, he said.

Bureau Report

**Snowy Owl** · September 17, 2006, 05:08 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Choukran, Choukra, Choukria, Dansan and thank you
to http://www.chikungunya.ca/

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Assembly session set to be stormy

Sunday September 17 2006 09:09 IST
<SMALL></SMALL>
<SMALL>T?PURAM: Farmer?s suicide, Mullaperiyar Dam and increasing custodial deaths, the second session of the 12th Assembly, which begins here on Monday, is all set to be a stormy one.

Though the main agenda of the session is to pass the budget for the financial year 2006-07, a host of issues to unleash a scathing attack on the three-month old LDF government will be the main agenda for the Opposition.

The government?s failure to address the real issues which has led to farmer?s suicide is all set to trigger a hot debate in the House.

Even after the much hyped visit of the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to the state, the government could not achieve any concrete help from him.

The Opposition is gearing up to put the entire blame on the government?s failure to come out with a concrete scheme or package for the aid of crisis hit farmers.

This issue is all set to put the LDF government in a tight spot since they could not control the suicides of farmers even after coming to power.

The Tamil Nadu government?s refusal to consider the state?s apprehension on increasing the level of Mullaperiyar dam will also be a topic of debate as the Opposition has already raised the demand for constructing a new dam or to withdraw the agreement between the two states.

The Assembly is likely to pass a resolution expressing concern of the state in this issue.

The treasury benches will have to do a lot of talking for defending the cabinet berth given to T U Kuruvila, the man who was in the eye of storm over the Maithri scam. Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan who has been fighting against corruption while he was the Opposition Leader will have to explain a lot to defend his cabinet colleague.

Though the government could at last find a solution to the self-financing college issue, the government will be in the dock since they had gone beyond the assurances given in the last session of the Assembly.

The spread of chikungunya and viral fever across the state will also be taken up by the Opposition in the House as already ten deaths have been reported in the Alappuzha district alone.

The session which will have 26 business days will end on October 26. It will take up few important bills including the legislation extending welfare schemes for workers in shops and other business establishments.

The session will devote six days for transacting government business.</SMALL>

**Sharpe** · September 17, 2006, 01:02 PM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

This area is an important destination for birds arriving from Siberia right now. Below is a report from February.

Bird flu: No panic in Kerala

Our Bureau

Red alert sounded

PRELIMINARY REPORTS indicated that the death of fouls and other birds in Malappuram, Kozhikode and some other parts of the State were not because of bird flu.

Thiruvananthapuram , Feb. 23

The State Government has clarified that there was no ban on import of poultry or poultry feed from States other than Maharashtra.

Announcing this to newspersons after a meeting of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, and the Agriculture Minister, Ms K.R. Gouri, said that import of poultry into the State would, however, be subject to conditions.

Chicken and duck stock being brought in should carry certificates from Assistant Directors (Animal Husbandry) of the respective States. But the Chief Minister reiterated that there was a complete ban on shipping in of manure made from chicken waste or droppings. All steps have been initiated for preventing the outbreak of avian flu in the State. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the death of chicken reported from Kozhikode and Malappuram was because of other reasons. However, blood samples have been sent for analysis as a precautionary measure.

Agencies add: Meanwhile, about 2,500 ducklings have been culled as a preventive measure in Kollam on the orders of the Animal Husbandary RDepartment. The two-week-old fowls were found to have been smuggled into the State from Erode in Tamil Nadu.

Since the vendor who smuggled in the ducklings failed to produce any disease free certificate, the District Collector, Mr B. Sreenivas, directed the city corporation to effect the culling process with the help of veterinary doctors.

The ducklings kept at Kavanad in Kollam town were given tranquiliser-mixed feed and then taken to a graveyard in the town where they were burnt en masse.

"There was no evidence of the fowls suffering from any disease. But it is better avoid risk since they were brought without proper documents prescribed by the government in the wake of bird flue alert," the District Veterinary Officer, Dr Padmakumar, told PTI in Kollam.

Samples collected from the fowls had been sent to High Security Laboratory in Bhopal for detailed analysis.

Stray cases of birds' death were reported from Malappuram, Alappuzha and Kozhikode districts but the Animal Husbandry Department attributed them to common diseases such as Ranikhet or cocceidiosis.

The death of a large number of home-reared chickens since last week in a village in Malappuram caused concern in the area but preliminary tests showed Ranikhet' was the cause as vaccination for that particular area was not afflicted.

Water-logged Kuttanad in Alappuzha district, a habitat for a variety of water-fowls, is under close observation as also the bird sanctuary at Tattekkad near Tiruvalla, visited by migratory birds.

Inspections at border check posts in all parts of the State had been stepped up. In Kollam, special arrangement had been made at Aryankavu on Tamil Nadu border to check the arrival of poultry into the State.

**Snowy Owl** · September 18, 2006, 04:22 AM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

FRAT camp to combat chikungunya
Monday September 18 2006 12:58 IST
http://www.newindpress.com

<SMALL>T?PURAM: Residents associations in the district are planning to take preventive measures against chikungunya which has spread in parts of the district, a statement issued here said.

The Federation of Residents? Associations Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT), an umbrella organisation of the residents? organisations, is organising a camp at Vanchiyoor to distribute medicines.

The camp is being organised in association with the Government Homoeo Medical College, Iranimuttom. The camp will be held near Kalyani Marriage Hall, Vanchiyoor.

Medicines will be distributed to the office-bearers of residents associations, various organisations and individuals.

Residents associations should also undertake distribution of the medicines to all residences in the district, FRAT president T K Bhaskara Panicker and general secretary Paraniyam Devakumar said.

For details, contact - 0471-2476440 or 98479 08835.</SMALL>

**Snowy Owl** · September 18, 2006, 04:23 AM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Thiruvananthapuram  

No need for panic, say doctors
Staff Reporter
<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#d0f0ff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Cases of chikungunya reported from various parts of capital city </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<HR color=lightblue noShade>Call to check breeding of mosquitoes
Doctors' warning against dengue fever <HR color=lightblue noShade>
Thiruvananthapuram: Sporadic cases of viral fever, which could be clinically diagnosed as chikungunya, are being reported from various parts of the city. Doctors said that even though the disease was rarely fatal and that there was no need for panic, the Health authorities said that a spurt in viral fever could be expected as intermittent spells of rain continues.
The chikungunya scare was so far mostly around Vizhinjam, as the two confirmed cases reported were from the area. However, with a thriving mosquito population, especially the Aedes species, and the constant movement of people into the city and back, the disease cannot remain isolated in pockets, Health officials said.
As the rain continues, there are chances of mosquito population thriving in stagnant pools, leading to a spurt in dengue or chikungunya.
Many private hospitals in the city as well as the General Medicine Department at Medical College reported that they were getting sporadic cases of viral fever, with the clinical symptoms of chikungunya.
However, a positive diagnosis of dengue fever should be considered more dangerous than that of chikungunya, doctors advised.
Meanwhile, Health Department officials said that while they were successful in containing the viral fever epidemic at Vizhinjam quickly, they were quite successful in easing the panic that seemed to have gripped people over chikungunya, hither-to unheard of in the State.
Department officials admitted that they had not reckoned that the viral fever epidemic in Vizhinjam could be chikungunya, even though lakhs of cases were reported from the neighbouring States.
"It is a fact that we failed to anticipate the emergence of the disease here. It was around July 20 that the viral fever epidemic peaked in Vizhinjam. On July 26, we collected blood samples to be sent to the virology lab at Pune. By August 20, when the confirmation of chikungunya came and preventive measures were intensified, the epidemic was on its way out," a senior official pointed out.
Fund allotment for field activities such as mosquito control and awareness campaigns came late and because of the strike by Government doctors, public health activities were in a shambles, he said.
More stress should have been on creating awareness among people on the nature of the disease and the fact that it is self-limiting and hence not fatal. If people were aware that chikungunya had no specific treatment and that only supportive treatment with paracetamol and analgesics was required, the panic over the epidemic could have been prevented.

Death due to chikungunya was yet to be confirmed anywhere in India and the viral fever was known to create complications only when people with chronic diseases were affected, department officials said.

**Snowy Owl** · September 21, 2006, 01:51 AM

Re: KERALA - ALAPPUZHA: Chikungunya Blood samples tested positive

Aluva gears up against chikungunya
Thursday September 21 2006 10:23 IST

<SMALL>ALUVA:</SMALL>
<SMALL></SMALL>
<SMALL>The Municipal Standing Committee, at its emergency meeting held on Wednesday, decided to take precautionary measures on a war-footing against the spread of chikungunya in the town. The meeting was presided over by Chairman Francis Thomas.

Panic spread in the town following complaints that many people residing in the market area are suspected to have contracted chikungunya after they having shown symptoms of acute fever.

The personnel from Municipal Health Department and Aluva Taluk Hospital rushed to the area and examined the patients. The patients were instructed to go to hospital for a detailed check up.

People have been requested to cooperate with the activities of the municipality in its efforts to fight the disease.

PRECAUTIONS: Articles like utensils, plastic covers and tyres lying abandoned on the house premises should be destroyed. The vent pipes of septic tank should be covered with nets.

The shrubs and weeds on the house premises should be destroyed, failing which legal action will be taken, said Aluva municipal chairperson Smitha Gopi.

Those who develop symptoms of fever, pain at the joints, reddish spots and swellings on body parts, and vomiting should report immediately to the taluk hospital.</SMALL>

**Snowy Owl** · September 21, 2006, 02:47 AM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Chikungunya: Seek immediate medical aid
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20060920011259&Page=O&Title=Th iruvananthapuram&Topic=-162

T?PURAM:

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has asked the people not to panic, but to seek immediate medical help in case of developing symptoms of chikungunya.

The symptoms of chikungunya include high fever, headache, constipation, vomiting, joint pains and skin rashes. The virus of chikungunya spreads from fowls to humans by the bite of Aedes mosquito.

Eradication of the mosquitoes have to be done on a war-footing. The breeding grounds of mosquitoes should be cleaned up, IMA state secretary Dr R Ramesh said.

Other preventive measures include spraying insecticides in stagnant water bodies. Mosquito nets can be made use to escape from mosquito bite.

Members of all the IMA branches have promised support to the Government, Corporation, municipality and panchayat authorities to prevent the spread of the disease.

**Jeremy** · September 21, 2006, 04:03 PM

Kerala: Aluva gears up against chikungunya

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems...Kerala&Topic=0
Aluva gears up against chikungunya
Thursday September 21 2006 10:23 IST
<SMALL>ALUVA:The Municipal Standing Committee, at its emergency meeting held on Wednesday, decided to take precautionary measures on a war-footing against the spread of chikungunya in the town. The meeting was presided over by Chairman Francis Thomas.

Panic spread in the town following complaints that many people residing in the market area are suspected to have contracted chikungunya after they having shown symptoms of acute fever.

The personnel from Municipal Health Department and Aluva Taluk Hospital rushed to the area and examined the patients. The patients were instructed to go to hospital for a detailed check up.

People have been requested to cooperate with the activities of the municipality in its efforts to fight the disease.

PRECAUTIONS: Articles like utensils, plastic covers and tyres lying abandoned on the house premises should be destroyed. The vent pipes of septic tank should be covered with nets.

The shrubs and weeds on the house premises should be destroyed, failing which legal action will be taken, said Aluva municipal chairperson Smitha Gopi.

Those who develop symptoms of fever, pain at the joints, reddish spots and swellings on body parts, and vomiting should report immediately to the taluk hospital.</SMALL>

**Snowy Owl** · September 25, 2006, 11:16 AM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Chikungunya in Kerala?

indianmuslims.info

http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/india_news

India News Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 25 (IANS) The Congress-led United Democratic Front opposition walked out of the Kerala assembly Monday to protest against the government's failure to check the spread of chikungunya, a viral fever caused by mosquito bites.

Former Congress minister K.C. Venugopal said despite chikungunya being first reported from Alappuzha on July 27, the government was yet to act. So far, 37 people have died and 60,000 are suffering from the virus, he added.

"Alappuzha has been the worst hit and despite several requests for immediate action, it was only on Sunday that a meeting of the legislators from the district was called," Venugopal said.

The opposition wanted an adjournment motion to discuss the issue, but the request was turned down by Speaker K. Radhakrishnan, after state Power Minister A.K. Balan in place of Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy, informed the house that close to Rs.3.6 million had been allotted for medicines and to create the basic infrastructure at government health centres.

"When you ruled the state between 2001-06, 660 people died on account of dengue. From the detailed medical reports of the 37 dead, not a single person died on account of chikungunya. We have begun steps for eradication of mosquitoes," said Balan.

This led to angry protests from the opposition members before they walked out against the "callous attitude" of the government.

"I am sorry to say no action has been taken and if one takes into account the number of people being treated in private hospitals, the figure is mind-boggling," said Oommen Chandy, leader of opposition before leading the walkout.

"Reports indicate that the mosquito population in these affected areas has gone up by 12 times. Please don't cling on to technicalities. They are suffering and do the needful," he added.

The chikungunya-affected districts include Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.

**Snowy Owl** · September 27, 2006, 12:38 AM

Re: KERALA ( ALAPPUZHA, ALUVA ) Chikungunya, Local Measures

Minister confirms chickungunya deaths in Kerala
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20060926122706&Page=O&Title=Th iruvananthapuram&Topic=0

Wednesday September 27 2006 00:00 IST <small>UNI</small>
T'PURAM: Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathy on Tuesday confirmed that 36 people had died of chickungunya in the state.

She said about 22,325 patients were being treated in various parts of the hospital with the highest number of 8,013 patients reported from Cherthala, in Alappuzha district.

Sreemathy said the government had taken effective measures to contain the outbreak of the viral fever.

She said steps were being taken to depute sufficient doctors and other para medical staff in government hospitals to ensure 24 hours medical service to the public.

The government had also released Rs five lakh each to four districts to initiate precautionary measures, she added. She said an Rs 2.45 crore project for the state virology institute had been submitted to the Central Government during her recent visit to Delhi.

**Snowy Owl** · September 27, 2006, 12:46 AM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Guard against rain-related diseases
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20060926232553&Page=O&Title=Th iruvananthapuram&Topic=0

Wednesday September 27 2006 09:47 IST

T?PURAM: Guard against the outbreak of rain-related diseases. With the monsoon still going strong, the Health Department has sounded a high alert.

Dysentery, jaundice, typhoid, dengue fever, malaria, chikunguniya, Japanese Encephalitis and rat fever are some of the diseases that could crop their heads during the wet season.

Their spread can be checked if the following precautions are taken.

* Drink only boiled water.

* Do not answer to the call of nature in open spaces.

* Do not eat stale food.

* Avoid food that has been kept open for a long time.

* Observe personal hygiene. Dengue fever and chikungunya are spread by Aedes mosquitoes.

The important things are to check the proliferation of mosquitoes and avoid getting mosquito bites.

Rain water getting collected in dumped materials such as plates, coconut shells, bottles, plastic covers, egg shells and torn tyres should be drained immediately as stagnant water is the breeding ground of mosquitoes.

**Snowy Owl** · September 28, 2006, 06:57 AM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

`All measures in place to contain chikungunya outbreak'
http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/27/stories/2006092710350300.htm

Teams of medical experts deployed in affected areas for detailed investigations

<hr color="lightblue" noshade="noshade"> <table width="800"> <tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="448"><table bgcolor="#d0f0ff" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
`Situation being monitored on a daily basis
Rs.2.45-crore project submitted to the Centre for reviving Virology Institute in Alappuzha <hr color="lightblue" noshade="noshade">
Thiruvananthapuram:

The Health Department has taken all preventive as well as emergency measures required to contain the outbreak of chikungunya viral fever, which has been reported from four districts, Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy has said.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Ms. Sreemathy denied allegations that the Health Department had been inefficient in its handling of the epidemic situation. She said detailed investigations by the department into the reported deaths due to chikungunya in Cherthala taluk had found that most of the deaths were actually due to leptospirosis, heart diseases or underlying diseases of the liver or kidney.

"As per the medical investigations into the reported deaths due to chikungunya at Cherthala, most of those who died were suffering from chronic diseases, which were further complicated by the onset of viral fever," she added.

Reports that people were dying due to chikungunya will only serve to create panic among the public about chikungunya, which is self-limiting and hardly as dangerous as dengue fever, Ms. Sreemathy said.

She said the department had intervened effectively to contain the spread of viral fever and that all measures, including redeployment of extra medical and paramedical staff, provision of medicines and mosquito control measures had been adopted in all areas from where the disease had been reported.

In neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu many people have been affected by chikungunya whereas in Kerala, just over 20,000 cases have been reported so far, she said.

District Medical Officers have been asked to allot Rs.20,000 each to all health care institutions for purchasing medicines, IV fluids and for adopting mosquito control measures.

Also, all four affected districts ? Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kozhikode ? have been allotted Rs.5 lakh for launching preventive action.

Teams of medical experts, including entomologists and epidemiologists, have already been deployed at the affected areas in Cherthala for detailed investigations into the outbreak. Sustained vector control programmes were the only way in which the disease can be contained and this had to be achieved with community participation.

Steps were being taken to intensify fogging and source reduction measures in affected districts, the Minister said.

She said she would be visiting Cherthala again on Wednesday, along with senior officials to assess the epidemic control measures in place. She said the situation there was being monitored on a daily basis.

Virology institute

Ms. Sreemathy said a Rs.2.45-crore project has been submitted to the Centre for reviving the Virology Institute in Alappuzha. Once the institute was functional, the State will no longer have to depend on the lab at Pune for virology investigations, she pointed out.
Another project for Rs.6 crore had also been submitted to the Centre for taking up sustained preventive measures against infectious diseases in the State.

<url> </url> <web> </web>



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**Jeremy** · October 1, 2006, 02:50 PM

Chikungunya spreads in Kerala, 53 dead

http://www.ndtv.com/template/templat...94083&callid=1
Sunday, October 1, 2006 (Thiruvananthapuram):

Three more persons died of chikungunya in Alappuzha district in Kerala on Sunday, taking the total number of patients succumbing to the viral fever to 53.

State Health Minister P K Sreemathi instructed hospital authorities at Ambalappuzha and Cherthala taluks to depute all the staff for duty on holidays also.

Action would be taken against those who refuse to report for emergency duty today, a release from the Minister's office said here.

Reports said chikungunya had spread to more areas in Alappuzha District. More patients with symptoms of the disease were swarming hospitals in the area, sources said.

Finance Minister Thomas Isaac visited Ambalappuzha and Cherthala to oversee the arrangements being taken to provide treatment to patients.

Meanwhile, Youth Congress activists staged a black flag demonstration against the Health Minister when she arrived at the central stadium to attend a function, protesting the government's failure to prevent spread of the disease. (PTI)

**Snowy Owl** · October 2, 2006, 09:08 PM

Re: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="488"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="news-date" align="left" height="29" valign="top">

Unusual viral fever spreads, Catholic fishing villages affected

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October 2,2006</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="black-head-news" align="left" height="25" valign="top">
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="text" height="25">THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (UCAN)

-- An unusual viral fever has spread across coastal areas of Kerala state, affecting thousands of poor fisher folk, many of them Catholics.

</td></tr> <tr> </tr><tr> <td colspan="2" class="text" height="26"> Chikungunya fever, caused by bites from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the virus, has affected an estimated 300,000 people in the southern Indian state. The worst affected areas are overcrowded fishing villages with poor sanitation facilities. At least 43 deaths have been reported since June.

The name of the illness, from the African language Swahili, literally translates as "that which bends up," a reference to the positions people suffering from the disease take to relieve the joint pain.

Doctor N.K. Velayudhan told UCA News the infection's symptoms include fever, chills, headache, lower-back pain, rashes and severe joint pain, with or without swelling in smaller joints. "The symptoms are most often clinically indistinguishable from that of dengue fever," the medical doctor said.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito also is a common transmitter of dengue fever.

Doctor George Jacob, who has conducted field studies on the disease, told UCA News he noticed a high prevalence of mosquitoes that spread dengue and chikungunya fevers in the coastal areas of Alapuzha and Thiruvananthapuram districts. "The only way to control the disease is to keep the environment clean and healthy," he said.

Local people are in a panic as the epidemic has been spreading rapidly, says Father Aneesh Fernandez of Vizhinjam, a coastal parish near Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, 2,815 kilometers south of New Delhi. The illness has hit some 33,000 people there, where Catholics of Trivandrum Latin-rite archdiocese predominate.

The state government is "doing nothing" to help the people, Father Fernandez told UCA News Sept. 28.

State Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan told UCA News the state bureaucracy misled his government by misrepresenting the facts. He admitted the infection has caused deaths in the state and said the government would give 25,000 rupees (about US$550) to each affected family.

His admission contradicted what state Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi told UCA News on Sept. 21. She claimed clinical evidence did not indicate that the viral fever caused the deaths. "We have taken effective steps to contain the infection and set up monitoring cells in the coastal districts," she said.

Father George Gomez, who directs Trivandrum Latin-rite archdiocese's social-service department, said people in several parishes have been infected. The densely populated coastal areas lack basic amenities, so personal hygiene and waste management are a challenge, he told UCA News Sept. 21.

"It's the responsibility of the government to provide basic facilities," he insisted, when asked what was being done to check the epidemic.

The priest said a health survey conducted by his center found most fishermen in the archdiocese "are down with fever." State health authorities have urged people to keep their premises clean and mosquito-free, and the government has ordered massive cleaning operations in infected areas.

Father Fernandez, who contracted the infection, said the archdiocese organized 10 medical camps but found no medicine able to effectively check the epidemic. He said his efforts to have people keep their premises clean failed because people have no toilets or safe drinking water. "High density of population also makes our efforts more complex," he continued. "The only consolation for us is that so far no one has died in our parish."

Anthony Sahayam, a Catholic in Vizhinjam, said many people in his parish are alive because of the medical camps the parish priest organized. The priest also conducted cleaning operations in the area, he added.

Another Catholic, Maria Das, 65, said he had not gone fishing for days because he was bedridden with the viral fever. His wife, Celine, and their three sons also came down with the disease. The family had to borrow money from private moneylenders for treatment.

As with some other viral fevers, no known treatment exists to cure chikungunya. The body's immune system must overcome the infection, though medicine can alleviate some of the symptoms and the body can be helped by rest, intake of fluids and prevention of further mosquito bites or infection.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Announcement

KERALA - Chikungunya

KERALA - Chikungunya

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