The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Chikungunya symptoms in Anakaputhur?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 02, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Chikungunya symptoms in Anakaputhur?

Staff Reporter

Residents have been complaining of acute joint ache and fever

TAMBARAM: Scores of residents of Kamarajapuram in Anakaputhur Municipality have been complaining of acute joint ache, fever, profuse sweating, symptoms of chikungunya disease that was reported in some parts of the city in late May and early June.

Residents complained of the abysmally low facilities available at the Pozhichalur Primary Health Centre and also the poor response from workers of the Anakaputhur Municipality. Enquiries revealed that almost every house in Annai Mary First and Second Streets of Kamarajapuram had at least two or three people inside their houses taking rest, unable to even walk due to acute pain in their knee joints.

A motorcycle mechanic said his wife first complained of the acute joint pain and later fever and he contracted the infected from her. When their son returned from work on Thursday, he too was affected, the mechanic said. His neighbour - a couple employed in a stone quarry and their daughter too complained of similar symptoms. All of them initially took medication from private medical practitioners in Pammal area. One of them told reporters that people visiting his clinic with joint ache and high fever was on the rise in the past ten days.

He had not recommended blood tests to confirm if it could be chikungunya as the symptoms were not alarming, the doctor said. Authorities at the St. Anthony's Middle School in the same locality complained that the attendance of students had sharply dipped and when they enquired with their parents, they came to know that children too complained of these symptoms. They further added that several residents from the locality had visited Edathavaazhu, a Christian pilgrim centre on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border and may have contracted the infection there.

Residents of Kamarajapuram said that nothing less than 100 people in the locality complained of similar symptoms. They complained that despite being aware of the problem, the Anakaputhur Municipality's response was lethargic. Further, due to the inadequate facilities and medicines available at the Pozhichalur Primary Health Centre, they were subject to a lot of problems, residents added.

B. Velayudham, Chairman of Anakaputhur Muncipality, said chikungunya symptoms was restricted only to one pocket and workers of the local body were working round the clock to ensure that it did not spread to other areas. Disinfectants and insecticides were being sprayed in problem areas after taking equipment on hire, Mr. Velayudham said and added the local body was planning to buy equipment.

Officials of the Kancheepuram district health department said the cases were not new and also suspect that the residents might have contracted it from elsewhere, as pointed out by the school authorities. Further, all efforts were taken to keep the problems under check they said and added that the PHC at Pozhichalur was well stocked with the necessary medicines.

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