ANANTAPUR: The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi, has identified the rampant incidence of viral fever, which had assumed epidemic proportions in some villages in the district as "chickun guniya" fever caused by a viral vector in mosquitoes.

Information about the identification of the viral fever was communicated to District Collector Y.V. Anuradha by NICD over phone on Thursday.

The Collector told newspersons that there was no report of any mortality due to the viral fever so far. However, about 755 persons in 30 villages had contracted the fever till February 14.

Symptoms

As there was no specific treatment for this fever each patient had to be given separate treatment based on symptoms, which included severe body pains, joint pains and exhaustion, she explained.

Experts of NICD and National Institute of Virology, Pune, had further identified that the water storage vessels made of different types of material had become the breeding points for mosquitoes in the fever-hit village.

They had made the observation during their visit to a few villages a couple of days back, the Collector stated.

Though people would have to store water for drinking as well as other purpose, as the district is a water scarcity area, it was better advised to empty all the vessels, Ms. Anuradha suggested. She urged the residents of viral fever-hit villages to do so on February 19 and 24, so that the mosquito menace was reduced.

Besides, pyrethrum mixed with kerosene would be sprayed in all the fever-affected villages in two days and the remaining villages in the district would be covered in a phased manner.

The medical and health department had already procured 25 litres of pyrethrum for the purpose, the Collector noted.

Awareness campaigns

The rural water supply department would also be directed to take up immediate cleaning of their service tanks. Women of ICDS, IKP and other SHG groups would be involved in educating the women in fever-hit villages, particularly on improving the sanitation and following preventive measures.

District Medical and Health Officer Y. Swarupkumar Reddy stated that they had already printed about 30,000 pamphlets for distribution in the affected and their surrounding villages. He urged the people to cooperate with the staff who would visit them to spray anti-mosquito liquid in their houses.

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