Chikungunya: More in India

[DB]

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060513040206&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0
Karnataka
Medicine distributed to Chikungunya patients
Saturday May 13 2006 14:23 IST
<SMALL>CHITRADURGA: Organisers of a programme held to distribute medicine to chikungunya had a tough time here on Friday when the patients showed more interest in collecting medicine rather than listening to the speeches by the guests.

Arya Vysya Sangha in Chitradurga organised a programme to distribute medicines for chikungunya patients here on Friday. They invited local MLA Thippareddy to distribute the medicine. DHO was also present.

But the scare about chikungunya was so strong that the patients did not wait for the speech.

They rushed towards the dias to collect the medicine. Organisers found it difficult to balance between the patients moving in groups towards the dias and distributors.

Even Thippareddy found it difficult to deliver his speech. He called upon people not to get scared about chikungunya. If cleanliness is maintained properly this disease can be prevented, he pointed out. Arya Vysya Sangha president Kotresh Shetty, Dr Narayana Reddy, Radhakrishna Shetty were present.</SMALL>

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

Can you really blame the people.

If you and your family had Chikungunya would you really be interested in what some nimrod had to say?

Me neither.

To bad the medicine won't do them any good as there is no cure for Chikungunya.

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060519011425&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0
?Chikungunya under control?
Friday May 19 2006 11:35 IST
<SMALL>SHIMOGA: Proper care is being taken to to prevent and cure chikungunya, said DHO Eshwar Nayak.

Talking to reporters in Shimoga on Thursday, he said that Health Department was very alert towards controlling chikungunya in the district.

First suspected case of chikungunya was reported on March 28 at Harnahalli, later in Esuru, Tograsi, Shikaripur etc. Till date the number of suspected chikungunya had reached 3,799. And, only two cases of Haranahalli were termed positive, he said.

Few blood samples from each region have been sent for test and reports are awaited, he added.</SMALL>

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

Ignore the title of the article.

Chikungunya is NOT under control.

There is also no cure for Chikungunya.

 

[emmysue]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

(yet another name - chikun chunya)

Outbreak of mysterious disease suspected
http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/19/stories/2006051913770100.htm

C. Jaishankar

Precautionary measures have been taken in the affected villages

Ramanathapuram: The outbreak of suspected `Chikun Chunya' disease, a kind of dangerous viral fever, has been reported in at least two places in the district, where more than 650 people, mostly adults, have been affected. Health Department officials claim that this disease has never been detected in the State. The disease is noticed at S.P. Pattinam and Thondi near here. S.P. Pattinam is the worst affected area, where almost all families have been affected by this mysterious ailment. Nearly 600 villagers have been treated at the Primary Health Centre and nearby hospitals.

Most of the patients complain of high temperature with acute pain on all joints of the body. They say that cannot walk or move.

Following severity of the disease, health officials led by C. Velayudham, Deputy Director, Health, and Vector Borne Disease Control team led by M. Kathiresan, District Entomologist, have camped at two areas to control the disease. Similarly, Chief Entomologists of the State, Murugesan, and officials from malaria control programme and zonal entomologists from Virudhunagar visited the areas. Medical officers from Madurai Medical College visited the affected areas. They conducted on-the-spot tests. Some of the serums have been sent to Institute of Vector Control & Zoonoses at Hosur.

Out of 600-recorded serum of patients, only eight tested positive for dengue fever. One patient was affected by malaria fever. But, the officers could not find out the nature of ailments of others, as they tested negative for other known vector borne diseases.

"It is really a peculiar case. Based on symptoms and available information in the medical field, it could be Chikun Chunya case. However, we have decided to send the serums to the National Institute of Virology at Pune to find out the exact nature of ailment. We have effectively brought the situation under control," said C. Velayudham, DD, Health, Ramanathapuram. Precautionary measures had been taken in houses and streets in the affected villages, he added.

He said the disease might have been transmitted through `Aedes Mosquitoes.'Officials said similar cases are reported simultaneously in Vellore, Thiruvannamalai and some other districts. Though African originated Chikun Chunya disease was reported in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, this is the first time that a similar disease has been reported in the State.

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

This puts Chikungunya in Tamil Nadu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060521001108&Topic=0&Title=Southern%20News%20-%20Karnataka&Page=K
Steps to control chikungunya in progress: DC
Sunday May 21 2006 10:32 IST
<SMALL>SHIMOGA: Measures to control chikungunya have been taken in the district, said Deputy Commissioner Anil Kumar.

Talking to the media here on Saturday, he said that till now about 4,537 suspected cases of chikungunya were reported in the district and 119 blood samples sent for testing.

All primary health centres and units have stocks of medicine required for the next three weeks. There is no dearth of medicine at the hospitals and health centres, he said.

The disease is intense in Harnahalli, Kumsi, Chornahalli and Salur. Hence, extra care and precautionary measures are taken at these villages, he said.

Makeshift arrangements to accommodate patients have been arranged at junior college and school buildings in villages where chikungunya is severe, he added.

When asked about taking action against negligence and lack of facilities prevailing at Mc Gann Hospital, DC said that a meeting would be called to discuss the problem and to sort them out.

ZP CEO Shivakumar said that doctors and paramedical staffs were recruited to all the villages to meet the needs in the district. Doctors are appointed in-charge of each taluk. District Surveillance Officer Dr Jairaju is the nodal officer. Dr Lakshmi will supervise Shikaripur taluk, Dr Chennabasappa -Tirtahalli, Dr Mohan- Sorab, Dr Hanumantappa-Bhadravathi, Dr Uma Nandi- Hosanagar and Dr Shashidar- Sagar.</SMALL>

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060524004218&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0

Action against doctors demanded
Wednesday May 24 2006 11:03 IST
<SMALL>DAVANAGERE: Members of family of Rajeshwari, who had a stillborn baby in the hospital, complained that the absence of senior doctor and negligence of junior doctor and other staff, led to the death of the female baby in the womb at Chigateri General Hospital here on Monday night.

Rajeshwari, chikungunya patient, who was expecting a baby, was brought from Harlapura after she suffered labour pains on Monday evening. She was admitted early though her delivery date was May 28, sources said.

According to her family sources, when Rajeshwari cried with pains, senior gynaecologist on duty did not visit to her. Instead the staff asked Rajeshwari to keep quiet.

Junior doctors who admitted the pregnant woman maintained that the delivery would take place only Tuesday morning. They rejected the suggestion made by Rajeshwari?s brother to call senior doctor, alleged family members.

She delivered a stillborn baby at 11 am on Tuesday. Family members urged district administration to take stern action against erring medical staff which led to death of the baby</SMALL>

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060524001728&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0

A special goddess for chikungunya
Wednesday May 24 2006 10:38 IST
<SMALL>CHITRADURGA: Hindu religion is so flexible that one can have gods and goddesses for anything. Anybody can create any god or goddess. People of Karuvinakatte area at the outskirts of Chitradurga city had, on Tuesday, created a special goddess for joint pain they suffer due to chikungunya and sent her out of the border of their locality after offering her special dishes.

They did not praise her. Instead they scolded her, cursed her and warned her not to come back. Interestingly, even Muslim women had participated in this special performance.

She was named as ?Keelamma?. Keelu in Kannada means joints. Main symptom of chikungunya is joint pain. People of this area had suffered enough from chikungunya. When their effort to get cured with the help of Government hospitals failed they decided to create this goddess and offer a special performance.

Keelamma is a two feet tall wooden image of a woman. They placed this idol outside the area. They prepared special dishes like holige. They arranged holige, copra, neem leaves, banana, kumkum, turmeric powder and green bangles in a plate. They arranged these plates in a line.

People of the entire locality assembled in front of the goddess, abused her, scolded her, accused her for harming the society and warned her not to enter the area again. Then all of them went in procession with the idol, offerings, left all of them outside the locality and returned.

Whether keelamma will come back or not, a tribal culture, which had been missing for several generations, got revived.</SMALL>

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060524001436&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0
Measures to check chikungunya in city
Wednesday May 24 2006 10:36 IST
<SMALL>SHIMOGA: Deputy Commissioner Anil Kumar held a meeting on Tuesday, to discuss the precautionary measures to be taken to prevent spread of chikungunya in the city.

According to a press release from Municipality, a one-day workshop of chikungunya will be conducted on Wednesday at Karnataka Sangha in order to provide mass awareness to the residents.

The outcome of the meeting:

Water has been released to Tunga canal to avoid water stagnation and consequent breeding of mosquitoes.

Five teams have been formed to take up awareness programme. Each team will include two health inspectors, one tax collector and other workers.

About 600 members of Stree Shakti Groups, anganwadi workers, staffs of Health Department etc will be assigned to distribute about one-lakh pamphlets to each house in the city.

Public will be alerted to clean the gardens and tanks around their houses at least twice a week to avoid breeding of mosquitoes.

City Municipal Corporation will be asked to take up fogging once in 10 days at the areas affected by chikungunya.

Information regarding number and details of patients admitted both in government and private hospitals in the city will be collected regularly.</SMALL>

 

[hawkeye]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

Five teams have been formed to take up awareness programme. Each team will include two health inspectors, one tax collector and other workers.


Why a tax collector?

 

[emmysue]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

Viral fever claims three lives in TN
http://www.chennaionline.com/colnew...7-471D-8CC1-B24797ABF324}&CATEGORYNAME=Health

Madurai, May 26: 'Chikun gunya', a viral fever common in Africa, has claimed three lives in Virudhunagar district, two days after cases were reported from Chattirappatti area, hospital sources said.

Doctors at the Virudhunagar government hospital said elderly people got severely affected by the fever and all the three victims were above 60 years.

Around 70 people have been affected by the fever in the district and medicines were being administered, district officials said.

The officials said they were looking into the cause of the fever and how it spread from Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram districts. Efforts were being taken in these districts to contain the same, they added.

The three district administrations have together formed a medical team to check spread of the disease and treat the patients. (Agencies)

 

[emmysue]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

Chikun gunya strucks Indian Tamil Nadu State
New Delhi, May 26
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-16/0605266304172427.htm

India-Fever
`Chikun gunya,' a viral fever common in Africa, has struck parts of Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin Districts in Tamil Nadu, prompting health department officials to take steps to contain them.

The disease, which could have been transmitted by `aedes mosquitoes,' had been reported in Tamil Nadu for the first time, Deputy Director of Health Services Dr. Liyqquat Ali said.

While in Ramanathapuram district about 700 people had been affected in S.P. Pattinam and Thondi, both coastal areas, in Tuticorin district 600 people had been affected in Tuticorin, Vilathikulam, Kovilpatti and Sathankulam by the disease which caused sudden chillness, high fever, severe pain and swelling in the joints, headache and nausea.

He said the fever could be cured with paracetamol, anti-analgesic, anti-inflammatory and other supporttive drugs.

A team of officials from the Health department are camping in the affected areas to control and prevent its spread. Precautionary measures had been taken in both the districts.

Entomologists and officials from Malaria Control Program also visited the affected areas. Serum samples had been sent to the Vector Control and Research Centre at Hosur.

Special health camps had been set up to treat the affected people.

 

[emmysue]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

Dy director of food and civil supplies dies
Monday May 29 2006 12:25 IST

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItem...age=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0

CHITRADURGA: Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies Department here M B Mallikarjunappa (52) died on Saturday evening at Bangalore. He was a native of Mattodu village of Hosadurga taluk.

He was an asthma patient and had chikungunya too. When he developed problem in breathing he was taken to Bangalore for higher treatment where he died.

Shivalingananda Swamy of Kabeeranandashrama and secretary of Madakarinayaka Samskrithika Kendra D Gopalaswamy Nayaka condoled his death.

 

[Jeremy]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060616021557&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0

Fogging to prevent chikungunya
Friday June 16 2006 12:37 IST
<SMALL>HAVERI: In view of the widespread suspected chikungunya in the town and taluk, the municipality has decided to use a Fogging machine obtained from the Bhatkal municipality.

The machine was put to use from today, from Cheluvadi street in the town. Meanwhile, the municipality decided to purchase a Fogging machine at a cost of Rs 35,000.

A letter in this respect, has been written to the deputy commissioner who is also acting as the officiating municipal commissioner of the town, according to sources</SMALL>

 

[Jeremy]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060615133101&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0
Seven test positive for chikungunya in district
Friday June 16 2006 00:00 IST
<SMALL>NAGERCOIL: Of the 40 suspected cases of chikungunya fever, as many as seven tested positive, Deputy Director of Health Ralph Selvin said here on Thursday.

The cases had been reported from Nagercoil, Ethamozhi and Ettamadam in the district.

Active surveillance was undertaken to check the breeding of mosquitoes by fogging of pyrethrin, which would kill the larvae of the disease-transmitting mosquito.

Selvin said that ever since stray cases of ?chikungunya? were reported in the district, village health nurses and the health inspector had been sent to educate the people about the fever and destroy the larvae in water containers.</SMALL>

 

[Jeremy]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20060615132711&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0
500 suspected cases of chikungunya fever in district
Friday June 16 2006 00:00 IST
<SMALL>DHARMAPURI: As many as 500 people have been reportedly affected by the attack of ?Aedes mosquitoes? (the suspected cause of chikungunya fever) in Dharmapuri district, according to medical sources here.

The people of the district had been suffering from the disease for the past 20 days. The disease had also spread to urban areas, and as many as 500 cases were reported till Thursday.

According to Deputy Director (Health Services) Dr A Iyyanar, ??The disease spreads through ?Aedes mosquito?. Lack of sanitation and poor maintenance of the environment are the main causes for the spread of the disease. These mosquitoes breed even in clean water like the water stored in vessels, plastic containers, flower pots, water circulating AC plants, air coolers, etc.??

The villages of Boorikkal, Eachampatti, Ramakondahalli, Puttireddipatti, Pappaurappatti, Kadhathur, Chinnamookanur and Achampatti had been affected by the disease. In Dharmapuri Municipal limit, a few cases had been reported from Chekkodipuram and Kumarasamypet.

All the 33 primary health centres here had been alerted and a team of doctors had been deputed to take care of the people. Two emergency teams were also kept ready at the Dharmapuri Headquarters Hospital. A special help centre had also been established at the Government Hospital. ??The affected persons can call (04342) 232720 for help,?? Iyyanar said.

As many as 34 samples had been collected from the affected persons in the district and sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for tests for ?chikungunya? virus. Samples were also sent to the Institute of Vector Control and Zoonoses, Hosur, to test for dengue, leptospirosis, typhoid, etc.

The people of the district had been urged to keep their surroundings clean and prevent waterlogging.</SMALL>

 

[Jeremy]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

I would like to remind everyone that this outbreak started late last year in India in and around Andrha Pradesh.

We are now over 6 months into the outbreak and the virus has spread to Mahastrata, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa, Kerala, Punjab, Madyha Pradesh and most likely others.

There is little doubt in my mind that by the end of the year there will very few places in India that will be untouched by Chikungunya, and then it will spread to the rest of South East Asia and the most likely into China via Uttar Pradesh and the Nepalese Terai Belt.

Chikungunya has shown that it has explosive and devestating impacts upon infected areas. While thankfully the mortality rate appears to be low, the effects of the virus on the area is enough to kill the local economy.

While the WHO has not issued any travel advisories on India I would strongly suggest that the issue be looked at in ernest.

 

[Jeremy]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/18/stories/2006061812420500.htm
Fever Hospital gears up to tackle chikungunya


Staff Reporter




HYDERABAD: Minister for Information and Public Relations Mohd. Shabbir Ali has asked Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical Diseases, popularly known as Fever Hospital, to take care of out-patients round-the-clock in view of the prevailing viral fever and suspected chikungunya' cases in twin cities. "There is no need to panic. There are very few cases of suspected chikungunya and it is not contagious. The Government is on the alert and there is enough stock of medicines to tackle the fever," he told presspersons after going round the hospital on Saturday morning.

Mr. Ali visited some of the wards and spoke to a few patients.

He noted that there was a rush near the two counters issuing tokens to patients and wanted more counters to be opened.

Special arrangements should be made by erecting tents and more doctors be pressed into service by the district administration.

Allaying apprehensions about the virus, he said it spreads only through the `Aedes Egypti' mosquito which breeds on water stagnant containers.

Hospital in-charge Dr. Vijay Mohan explained that chikungunya was not fatal and within three to four days it would subside if proper medicines like paracetmol are taken or else it could take up to four weeks.

Symptoms

"Severe joint pains with fever could turn out to be chikungunya. Paracetamol course should be taken while muscles could be relaxed by constant wiping with a cloth dipped in cold water.

The patient should drink more water to wash down the virus," Dr. K.T.Murthy, another doctor said.
District Health and Medical Officer, Satyavati, said 140 blood samples sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune, to test for chikungunya recently were negative while 29 cases were detected in the 140 samples. "

 

[Jeremy]

Re: Chikungunya: More in India

There are very few cases of suspected chikungunya and it is not contagious.


​

This is not true.

The Government is on the alert and there is enough stock of medicines to tackle the fever


​

There is no cure for Chikungunya, therefore this is not true.

Allaying apprehensions about the virus, he said it spreads only through the `Aedes Egypti' mosquito which breeds on water stagnant containers.


​

It has already been proven that the virus has mutated and spreads through other vectors, therefore this is not true.

Hospital in-charge Dr. Vijay Mohan explained that chikungunya was not fatal and within three to four days it would subside if proper medicines like paracetmol are taken or else it could take up to four weeks.


​

It has already been proven that Chikungunya can be fatal, in very few cases, and since their is no cure paracetmol (acetaminophen) will not cure the disease, therefore this is not true.