CREATING AWARENESS: Health Minister R. Ashok (fourth from left) releasing posters on chikungunya in Bangalore on Tuesday. (From left) MLAs Nirmal Kumar Surana, V. Somanna, and R. Ramalinga Reddy, Bangalore Zilla Panchayat president Renuka Gopalakrish na and Mayor Mumtaz Begum are seen. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore: The Government, along with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), has initiated emergency measures to contain the spread of chikungunya, Minister for Health and Family Welfare R. Ashok said here on Tuesday.

The Minister held a meeting with Health Department officials, members of the Legislative Assembly and members of the BMP Council to review steps to tackle the situation.

For hospitals, PHCs

He released posters designed to create awareness about chikungunya. These will be put up at hospitals and primary health centres.

Mr. Ashok told The Hindu that the BMP Commissioner had ordered the purchase of 100 additional fogging machines to prevent the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads chikungunya.

Directive

He said he had asked Health Department officials to visit government hospitals and health clinics to find out whether they had adequate stocks of medicines.

If there was shortage, medicines would be supplied immediately. Action would be taken against officials who failed to implement measures to protect the people against chikungunya, he added.

"I have asked the department as well as MLAs and corporators to spread awareness about chikungunya among the public. College students are being made aware of the disease and its symptoms so that people are not misled," Mr. Ashok said.

BMP Commissioner K. Jairaj, Bangalore Mayor Mumtaz Begum, MLAs and corporators were present.

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