ANANTAPUR: Even as political parties in the district have been charged up with local body election activity over the last couple of months, the general public has been reeling under severe health crisis caused by chikungunya since its outbreak in early January. The number of people suffering from the disease has unofficially been put in lakhs, though medical and health officials refute this.

Unofficial reports put the death toll due to the disease caused by the chikungunya virus, which is transmitted through mosquitoes, at over 30 during the last six months. But, officials have not recognised any of such deaths so far.

District Medical and Health Officer Y. Swaroop Kumar Reddy attributed the deaths to other diseases chikungunya patients were already suffering from. "Their immunity was minimised by chikungunya coupled with other health problems," he analysed.

Official figures

The Health Department had got all these deaths analysed scientifically and found that no death was caused by the new viral disease, he claimed. He put the villages affected by the disease at 464 and the number of persons affected at 5,620.

Measures to contain the spread of mosquitoes to prevent the disease failed to take off during the last three months.

Dry days and fogging were planned but have not been implemented.

Former Collector Y.V. Anuradha had campaigned for dry days at least once a week. Dry days call for the public to throw out all the stored water and clean the vessels, as mosquitoes causing the disease were breeding in fresh water itself. Fogging forgotten

The district panchayat officials washed their hands of the problem by supplying anti-mosquito liquids like pyrethrum.

It has not been monitored whether the liquids were sprayed or not. Fogging has been forgotten even in urban areas including the district headquarters, which has been upgraded into a corporation.

While the public health centres and Government hospitals have limited their role to giving tablets for fever and body pains to the patients approaching them, private clinics and Government doctors having private practice have been making the most of the situation.

The disease has been a major financial burden on the poor.

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