Dengue, Chikungunya cases on rise in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Though state health department boasts of anti-dengue measures and controlled fever cases, weekly reports given to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) by the state health department have exposed poor anti-dengue and anti-chikungunya measures by the department.

Southern districts of Tamil Nadu including Dindigul, Madurai, Sivagangai and Virudhunagar have reported dengue and chikungunya outbreaks till April 1 since the beginning of the year.

While Dindigul topped the list of chikungunya cases with 76 cases, closely followed by Madurai with 49 cases. Tiruchirapali recorded 23 cases of chikungunya and Sivagangai has recorded 10 cases of chikungunya so far.

Tiruvallur, which is a part of Greater Chennai, had reported the highest number of 17 dengue cases. Virudhunagar and Ariyalur have reported 15 and 12 dengue cases, taking the total number of cases to 44.

The incidence of chikungunya in Tamil Nadu this year is comparatively higher than last two years. The state records 158 cases of chikungunya till April 1, 2018, which was a total of 86 in 2016 and 113 in 2017. The state witnessed dengue outbreak, recording highest number of cases in the country with 23,035 cases and 63 deaths in 2017.

Though state health department had declared to intensify anti-dengue measures this year to prevent worsening of the situation, dengue has already started affecting the people of Tamil Nadu.

Government hospitals in the city are witnessing not more than five cases currently and there have been no outbreak reports. However, as the infectious disease has already reported outbreak in Tiruvallur, authorities need to strengthen anti-dengue measures.

Public health director Dr K. Kolandaisamy said that the department has instructed all the government hospitals to continue blood sample tests for dengue for all fever cases reported at the hospital for early reporting of the suspected dengue fever cases. “Every public health centre would organise a mass awareness drive in the locality along with educational institutions or welfare associations on every Thursday,” he said.

However, the public health experts stress on intensified control programmes for infectious diseases before a large portion of the population gets into its grip.