Karnataka - Bangalore

Chikungunya shows no sign of abatement

Bangalore: Even as the authorities are gearing up to contain the spread of chikungunya, more than 70 cases have been reported at the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) Srirampuram Referral Hospital and K.C. General Hospital on Monday.

While four have been admitted at K.C. General Hospital’s “chikungunya ward,” the rest were treated as out-patients, doctors said.

Of the 70, close to 30 cases were recorded at the BBMP hospital. “We have more cases today, because the affected persons would have abstained from visiting the hospital on a Sunday,” Shivprasad of K.C. General Hospital said.

The State Health and Family Welfare Department, which convened a meeting of experts on Monday, has decided to depute two teams of health officials for vector management in Bangalore city and Dakshina Kannada district.

Health and Family Welfare Principal Secretary M. Madan Gopal told The Hindu that the officials had been asked to step up surveillance measures to combat the vector-borne diseases.

“We are concerned because dengue and chikungunya, which have similar symptoms, have been reported simultaneously in some areas. To ensure that there is no wrong diagnosis of the diseases, we have directed the officials to conduct training programmes on the standard protocol treatment at the district and taluk levels,” Mr. Madan Gopal said.

He said BBMP officials had been directed to hold Ayurveda and homoeopathy camps in all the wards to contain the spread.

“If required, we can also depute the services of entomologists from other districts for vector management in the city,” Mr. Madan Gopal added.

The meeting was attended by H. Sudarshan, former Chairman of the State Government’s Task Force on Health, and other officials from the Union and State Health departments.

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