Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Outbreak of guinea fever in Maharashtra
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
MALEGAON: Maharashtra Directorate of Health officials on Sunday reported outbreak of 'Chikun guinea' or guinea fever in Malegaon in Nasik district.
"Several people have been affected by this mosquito-transmitted disease and of the 18 samples sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, two cases have been declared positive for `chikun guinea'," Dr P P Doke, Director General of the Directorate of Health said here on Sunday.
Doke emphasised that, "the disease has nothing to do with bird flu or Avian Influenza".
"It is a viral disease, the fever causes severe body ache and thus makes a person stoop," Dr Katti, Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Health said.
...Katti said, even "our neighbouring state Andhra Pradesh had reported outbreak of the disease recently".
Last month 362 samples from Andhra Pradesh were sent for testing, of which 139 samples tested positive for chikun guinea and 15 for both chikun guinea and dengue.
Besides the Indian subcontinent, several parts of the French Indian Ocean rim countries including Mauritius also reported outbreak of "chikun guinea fever", he said.
The disease is a milder form of dengue with almost similar symptoms and is treatable, he said adding that the virus is transmitted by same mosquito vector Aedes aegypti.
"Several people have been affected by this mosquito-transmitted disease and of the 18 samples sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, two cases have been declared positive for `chikun guinea'," Dr P P Doke, Director General of the Directorate of Health said here on Sunday.
Doke emphasised that, "the disease has nothing to do with bird flu or Avian Influenza".
"It is a viral disease, the fever causes severe body ache and thus makes a person stoop," Dr Katti, Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Health said.
...Katti said, even "our neighbouring state Andhra Pradesh had reported outbreak of the disease recently".
Last month 362 samples from Andhra Pradesh were sent for testing, of which 139 samples tested positive for chikun guinea and 15 for both chikun guinea and dengue.
Besides the Indian subcontinent, several parts of the French Indian Ocean rim countries including Mauritius also reported outbreak of "chikun guinea fever", he said.
The disease is a milder form of dengue with almost similar symptoms and is treatable, he said adding that the virus is transmitted by same mosquito vector Aedes aegypti.