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India: Other town bites the dust
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Administration in dark as epidemic strikes Gulbarga
Thursday March 23 2006 10:55 IST
<SMALL>GULBARGA: The authorities are groping in the dark as leptospirosis, popularly known as rat fever and Chikungunya have struck Gulbarga city.
The annual Sharanabasaveshwara Jatra, which had begun three days ago in the heart of the city is suspected to be the main cause for the fast spread of the epidemics.
Thousands of people coming from affected villages in rural areas attend the annual car festival, which goes on for a fortnight. A large number of cases are reported from several areas of the city, particularly the thickly populated and highly congested Brahmpur and Makhtampur localities.
People complaining of joint pain, high fever and chills have become common in the city. The severe joint pain caused in knees makes the patient immobile.
District Health and Family Welfare officer Dr Pandurang Poojary visited a number of infected houses in Brahmpur area on Wednesday though Gulbarga city does not come under his jurisdiction. Piled-up garbage, choked drains dot the city.
Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, District Minister, held an emergency special meeting with the district authorities to review the situation on March 18. The Minister had rushed to Gulbarga half way through the legislature session to take stock of the situation.
Darshanapur had directed the authorities to make efforts to bring the twin diseases under control within a week. Although a team of experts from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) had visited the district last week, that has hardly made any difference.</SMALL>
Administration in dark as epidemic strikes Gulbarga
Thursday March 23 2006 10:55 IST
<SMALL>GULBARGA: The authorities are groping in the dark as leptospirosis, popularly known as rat fever and Chikungunya have struck Gulbarga city.
The annual Sharanabasaveshwara Jatra, which had begun three days ago in the heart of the city is suspected to be the main cause for the fast spread of the epidemics.
Thousands of people coming from affected villages in rural areas attend the annual car festival, which goes on for a fortnight. A large number of cases are reported from several areas of the city, particularly the thickly populated and highly congested Brahmpur and Makhtampur localities.
People complaining of joint pain, high fever and chills have become common in the city. The severe joint pain caused in knees makes the patient immobile.
District Health and Family Welfare officer Dr Pandurang Poojary visited a number of infected houses in Brahmpur area on Wednesday though Gulbarga city does not come under his jurisdiction. Piled-up garbage, choked drains dot the city.
Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, District Minister, held an emergency special meeting with the district authorities to review the situation on March 18. The Minister had rushed to Gulbarga half way through the legislature session to take stock of the situation.
Darshanapur had directed the authorities to make efforts to bring the twin diseases under control within a week. Although a team of experts from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) had visited the district last week, that has hardly made any difference.</SMALL>