ENS

Bangalore, Jun 27: Although the Public Health Institute (PHI) has officially declared that there is an outbreak of chikungunya in the city, the disease is waning, with only 48 new cases reported in the past three days.

"Further, the outbreak is confined to Srirampuram and Bhashyamnagar," official sources told this website's newspaper.

While more blood samples were sent for testing on Thursday, seven of the 21 samples sent earlier are said to be positive. Around 198 chikungunya cases have been reported in the city so far.

A public awareness campaign has been launched to check the disease, with household surveys, fumigation and cleaning surroundings.

KC General Hospital, which has created a separate ward for chikungunya cases, treated 23 cases as out-patients on Thursday. Eleven of these were female patients.

"Nine others have been admitted," said Dr Vishwaradhya, Health Superintendent of the Hospital.

Shiv Prasad, senior physician of the Referral Hospital of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Srirampuram, said that three suspected cases were registered on Wednesday, and the laboratory results of the blood samples, sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Victoria Hospital, were being awaited.

"We are providing full support to the BBMP to execute measures such as surveillance, supply of medicines and information activities to contain the disease. We have also made arrangements for the distribution of ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicines," Madan Gopal, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, said.

No chikungunya cases have been registered at Bowring or Victoria hospitals so far.

Dr Prasanna, consulting physician and pediatrician, said that the accumulation of water should be avoided and only boiled water should be consumed.

"In case of high fever, the patient should seek immediate medical help. Fogging is another way to tackle the problem," he said.

"The symptoms of chikungunya are high fever, sometimes accompanied by shivering, headache, painful joints and muscular pain," Dr Prasanna said.