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Chikungunya claimed 3,000 lives in A?bad
Aruna Raghuram
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 23:58 IST
The municipal corporation reported only 10 deaths!
AHMEDABAD: While the Gujarat government maintains that only 10 deaths occurred in last year?s chikungunya epidemic in the city, a study by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad?s Centre for Management of Health Services estimates the death toll at 3,112.
According to the paper, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) recently and ?reluctantly? reported only 10 deaths due to chikungunya in 2006, where the blood test verified the disease.
It did not report the cases of suspected chikungunya in order to minimise adverse publicity.
The paper, titled ?Chikungunya Fever: A Killer Epidemic in Ahmedabad City, India?, carried out by Prof Dileep Mavlankar and Prof KV Ramani compares the mortality rate of 2006 (AMC data) to the rate of 2002-05.
It says that 3,112 more deaths occurred in August-November 2006 (the chikungunya epidemic period) compared to the average deaths in the same months during the previous four years.
A peak is seen in September when 1,489 additional deaths were recorded.
Since no other adverse events took place during this period, the deaths could be attributed to chikungunya.
This is supported by the fact that the rise in mortality is mainly in the older population (above 50 years), which is vulnerable to complications on account of chikungunya.
Aruna Raghuram
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 23:58 IST
The municipal corporation reported only 10 deaths!
AHMEDABAD: While the Gujarat government maintains that only 10 deaths occurred in last year?s chikungunya epidemic in the city, a study by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad?s Centre for Management of Health Services estimates the death toll at 3,112.
According to the paper, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) recently and ?reluctantly? reported only 10 deaths due to chikungunya in 2006, where the blood test verified the disease.
It did not report the cases of suspected chikungunya in order to minimise adverse publicity.
The paper, titled ?Chikungunya Fever: A Killer Epidemic in Ahmedabad City, India?, carried out by Prof Dileep Mavlankar and Prof KV Ramani compares the mortality rate of 2006 (AMC data) to the rate of 2002-05.
It says that 3,112 more deaths occurred in August-November 2006 (the chikungunya epidemic period) compared to the average deaths in the same months during the previous four years.
A peak is seen in September when 1,489 additional deaths were recorded.
Since no other adverse events took place during this period, the deaths could be attributed to chikungunya.
This is supported by the fact that the rise in mortality is mainly in the older population (above 50 years), which is vulnerable to complications on account of chikungunya.
