GULBARGA: Leptospirosis (rat fever) and chikun gunya disease are spreading in Gulbarga district and more cases have been reported for the first time in urban areas.

Official sources said here on Wednesday that more than 40 cases of suspected chikun gunya and leptospirosis were reported from the thickly populated localities in city on Wednesday and 10 cases were reported in Sedam town. So far the disease was confined to rural areas.

This has sent panic signals to the District Health and Family Welfare officials and the City Corporation authorities.

Prior warning given

Senior scientist from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases U.V.S. Rana had visited some of the affected areas and studied results of blood samples drawn from affected people in the district.

Dr. Rana told the district authorities that symptoms and results of blood tests and the pattern of the spread suggested that it was an outbreak of chikun gunya, which is an acute alpha-virus infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, causing dengue-like fever.

Dr. Rana had also suggested to the officials that they should immediately take up preventive measures in thickly populated areas such as intensive fogging to check the growth of mosquitoes and create awareness among people to keep their surroundings clean.

Mosquito menace

Gulbarga City Corporation officials had taken little care to take up fogging operations in the district. Sewage and collection of large pools of water on the roads due to the absence of storm-water drains have led to uncontrolled breeding of mosquitoes in the city.

Although there are eight fogging machines with the Gulbarga City Corporation, only four are in working condition. Even these four machines have not been put to use.

It was only after a large number of people with symptoms of chikun gunya and leptospirosis were reported in the city on Wednesday, corporation officials decided to take up fogging in select areas.

Commissioner of the Corporation S.P. Mudhol said that as per information reaching him, fogging operations has been going on for the past three days in the city. However, he failed to provide information on the areas where fogging was taken up. Deputy Commissioner Anjum Parvez The Hindu that fogging began in the city on Wednesday.

Instructions given

Mr. Parvez said that instructions have been issued to corporation authorities to purchase five more fogging machines immediately to take up intensive fogging operations in the city. Another 20 fogging machines will be purchased for use in other parts of the district. Isolated cases of chikun gunya and leptospirosis were also reported in other smaller towns and cities in the district.

District Health and Family Welfare Officer Panduranga Pujar said that a team of scientists from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, who are now touring the affected areas in Raichur district are likely to arrive here on Wednesday night to study the outbreak in the district.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail