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Chikungunya cases rising in state
Umesh Isalkar, TNN 20 November 2009, 02:36am IST
PUNE: Even as cases of H1N1 influenza and dengue fever continue to surface now and then in the state, another viral disease chikungunya has become a cause for concern. So far, 193 cases of chikungunya fever have been detected in the state. The districts of Thane and Beed have topped the chart, with as many as 42 and 30 cases respectively being reported from the two places.
The districts in western Maharashtra and Konkan region, like Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, which had no cases till last year, have registered a sizeable number of cases this year.
According to state entomologist A S Bhosale, "Intermittent rains in the western parts of Maharashtra and Konkan region this year was among the conducive factors that led to the growth of the mosquito which spreads the disease. Similarly, intense scarcity of water in other parts of the state encourages storage of water, which eventually worked as breeding areas for the vector."
"That's primarily the reason why a few districts in western part and Konkan region, like Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, as well as some districts in Marathwada, like Beed, Osmanabad and Latur, witnessed a sizeable number of chikungunya cases this year," Bhosale said. Health authorities have been monitoring patients complaining of fever with arthritis from all these areas, Bhosale added.
Bhosale said, "As many as 16 sentinel centres, with adequate testing facilities, have been set up in the state. Whenever blood samples are received at these testing centres, they are checked for malaria, dengue and chukungunya in that order. Hence, for example, if a blood sample tests negative for malaria, it is tested for dengue and chikungunya."
Till last year, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) was the only lab in the state where tests for chikungunya were being carried out. "The NIV has helped with testing kits in forming the sentinel centres at government medical colleges and district level civil hospitals. With the diagnostic facilities being made available at more than one place now, the rate of detection has also increased," Bhosale said. The centres also work as surveillance centres. "They have been taking anti-larvae measures to stop the virus from spreading," Bhosale added.
Since the mosquito aedes aegypti, which spreads the disease, breeds in fresh water, observing one day in a week as dry day' by emptying and cleaning all household utensils and tanks is one effective measure that everybody must take, advised Bhosale.
(Source: Department of state health services, Pune)
Umesh Isalkar, TNN 20 November 2009, 02:36am IST
PUNE: Even as cases of H1N1 influenza and dengue fever continue to surface now and then in the state, another viral disease chikungunya has become a cause for concern. So far, 193 cases of chikungunya fever have been detected in the state. The districts of Thane and Beed have topped the chart, with as many as 42 and 30 cases respectively being reported from the two places.
The districts in western Maharashtra and Konkan region, like Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, which had no cases till last year, have registered a sizeable number of cases this year.
According to state entomologist A S Bhosale, "Intermittent rains in the western parts of Maharashtra and Konkan region this year was among the conducive factors that led to the growth of the mosquito which spreads the disease. Similarly, intense scarcity of water in other parts of the state encourages storage of water, which eventually worked as breeding areas for the vector."
"That's primarily the reason why a few districts in western part and Konkan region, like Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, as well as some districts in Marathwada, like Beed, Osmanabad and Latur, witnessed a sizeable number of chikungunya cases this year," Bhosale said. Health authorities have been monitoring patients complaining of fever with arthritis from all these areas, Bhosale added.
Bhosale said, "As many as 16 sentinel centres, with adequate testing facilities, have been set up in the state. Whenever blood samples are received at these testing centres, they are checked for malaria, dengue and chukungunya in that order. Hence, for example, if a blood sample tests negative for malaria, it is tested for dengue and chikungunya."
Till last year, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) was the only lab in the state where tests for chikungunya were being carried out. "The NIV has helped with testing kits in forming the sentinel centres at government medical colleges and district level civil hospitals. With the diagnostic facilities being made available at more than one place now, the rate of detection has also increased," Bhosale said. The centres also work as surveillance centres. "They have been taking anti-larvae measures to stop the virus from spreading," Bhosale added.
Since the mosquito aedes aegypti, which spreads the disease, breeds in fresh water, observing one day in a week as dry day' by emptying and cleaning all household utensils and tanks is one effective measure that everybody must take, advised Bhosale.
(Source: Department of state health services, Pune)
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