K.K.S.S. R. Ramachandran.

CHENNAI: Health Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran informed the Assembly on Thursday that there were no deaths due to Chikungunya, a rare form of viral fever spread by a mosquito species, in the State.

In a suo motu statement, he said the disease was first noticed in the border villages of Vellore in March 2006. It spread to Tamil Nadu from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Till July 26, 115 persons all over the State were suspected to have been afflicted with the disease. From among them, 468 blood samples were collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune. Of this, 59 tested positive for the virus.

Mr. Ramachandran said a meeting chaired by Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin on June 22 discussed ways to prevent the spread of the disease. The Local Administration Ministry and the Health Ministry were coordinating efforts in tackling its spread. The Government had allocated Rs.2.85 crore to step up preventive measures.

He would attend a meeting of Health Ministers of the southern States on July 30 in Bangalore to discuss how they could cooperate to tackle the spread of the disease.

Earlier, Congress Whip S. Peter Alphonse said at least 13 persons at Sathirapatti village in Rajapalayam district had died of the disease.

Serious proportions

It was assuming serious proportions and had affected more than nine and a half lakh people all over the country.

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