The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Now, chickenpox hits Cuddalore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 20, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Now, chickenpox hits Cuddalore

By A.V.Ragunathan

CUDDALORE, JAN. 19. Close on the heels of the tsunami, the residents of coastal areas in Cuddalore are now facing an outbreak of chickenpox. Scores of people, including children, have contracted the disease in the coastal villages such as Thevanampattinam, Thalanguda and Karikkan Nagar, in the past two days.

The official figure of the afflicted is put at 29 — 14 at Thalanguda, two at Thevanampattinam, and 13 at Karikkan Nagar. Villagers who are still rueing over their personal losses now have to deal with the outbreak.

Officials have ruled out the possibility that the chickenpox has anything to do with the tsunami as it is an airborne viral disease and not a waterborne one. The virus generally manifests itself during January to May, and causes rashes, accompanied by headache and fever.

The patients get cured within days but have to be quarantined till then and made to wear clean clothes.

The District Collector, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, has formed 15 medical teams to attend to the patients and to take preventive measures.

Mr. Bedi has asked the villagers to drink a lot of water and keep their surroundings clean.

To disinfect the affected areas, 28,750 kg of bleaching powder, 22,350 kg of lime powder and 2,625 litres of phenyl have been used.

The people have been vaccinated against cholera and measles, and given antibiotics.

Lack of sanitation

The medical opinion is that the reason for the spread of chickenpox could be the lack of sanitation in the coastal areas, the absence of personal hygiene, and wearing "discarded and used clothes gifted by the donors in the post-tsunami period."

The fishermen generally defecate on the seashore as none of these villages have common toilets and those who are putting up the temporary shelters do not seem to give any thought to it. The medical fraternity feels that that the afflicted should be kept in isolation, but this is almost impossible because of the claustrophobic environment in the temporary tenements that have come up in a cluttered fashion.

The open spaces in the coastal villages have shrunk , as there are temporary structures on every site, thus denying the children of a place to play. Since children are highly vulnerable to diseases, they should be shifted to a more spacious accommodation at the earliest.

The used clothes that had come in lorry loads are breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria, as they have a stench.

The disease-causing germs remain dormant in the dry clothes and become active and virulent when the clothes are rinsed. It is felt that the officials and the Health Department will have their hands full in the days to come, dealing with such exigencies .

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