Mangalore: Chikungunya isn't Fatal, but Still Claims Lives?
by Melka Miyar
Pics: Arun Uppinangady
Mangalore, Jul 1: Chikungunya has gripped almost the entire Dakshina Kannada district like an epidemic, and the city is expecting quite a same situation in the coming days. News about the death of dozens of chikungunya patients has so far been received from different villages of Puttur and Sullia taluks. Medical records however, claim that nobody has died so far owing to this disease. But many persons lost their lives in the remote areas of Beltangady, Puttur and Sullia taluks. Therefore, people are very much scared of this disease and sceptipal about the health department's claim of the disease not being fatal.
According to the district health officer (DHO) Dr H Jagannath, a total of 23,644 Chikungunya cases have been reported in the district since April 2008. This disease has also spread in several villages of Mangalore taluk. About two to three Chikungunya suspected patients visit Wenlock hospital here as outpatients everyday. Therefore, Mangalore is not free from the fear of Chikungunya.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) sources, Chikungunya fever does not pose threat to life and it is not fatal. But no specific vaccine is available against this viral infection. The medicines used for other common fevers provide symptomatic cure for this disease. More than the fever, the joint pain which occurs owing to this disease is found intolerable. That is the reaon why Chikungunya patients are dreaded about the acute pain that the disease causes.
But one pertinent question remains unanswered as yet. Media has reported that many persons already died owing to this disease, in different parts of the district. But the DHO denies these reports and he clarifies that nobody has died in the district owing to Chikungunya. If DHO is correct, then how did these persons die?
At the same time, presence of Dengue fever cannot be denied, says district surgeon Dr Prabhudev who cites co-occurence and co-existence of both these fevers recently in Maharashtra state. A total of 22 Dengue cases have been reported in the district since April last. Dengue is more dangerous than Chikungunya as it has the potential to cause deaths, if it crosses beyond certain level. The vector which spreads both the diseases is the same i.e., Aedes mosquito. But the viruses are different. Therefore, some of the patients might have died owing to the co-occurrence of both the fevers at the same time, sources suspect. Meanwhile, one person has died because of Rat fever, recently. That is why it is a challenging task for the district health department to detect and eradicate Chikungunya, Dengue and Rat fever at the same time.
On the other hand, the health department is planning to control the population of mosquitoes in the city. The department is trying to clear the stagnant water in the city as it results in the breeding of mosquitoes. Because of the stringent actions taken by the health department, Malaria is under control, say the sources. A total of 3132 Malaria positive cases were reported in the city in the first six months of 2007. But it has gone down to 1896 in the first 6 months of 2008. This is only because of the effective measures taken by the health department against the builders who were responsible for the existence of stagnant water at the construction sites.
The labourers who were involved in the construction work in the city were found to be the biggest victims of Malaria in the city. If Chikungunya gains a foothold in the city, no doubt the same labourers will be the first victims of this fever. Therefore, care has to be taken to avoid the stagnation of water in the construction sites, says DHO. If the rain showers are continuous, there is no chance for the water to get stagnated in the city as the water flows continuously. But the risks increase as soon as the rainfall declines. If the locals do not take care about keeping their area free from stagnant water and filth, spread of Chikungunya is becomes imminent in the city. Therefore, role of the citizens is important than of the health department, in avoiding diseases like Chikungunya, Dengue, Rat fever and Malaria.