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Spurt in cases of viral fever

Staff Reporter

General Hospital here alone is receiving 50 patients a day on an average

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

POLLUTED ENVIRONS: An open drainage canal that has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes in Rasuudyarthotam at Vanarapet in Pondicherry.

PONDICHERRY: There has been a spurt in cases of viral fever in Pondicherry since August. The General Hospital here alone is receiving 50 patients a day on an average, including children and adults, with viral fever during the last few weeks.

Blood samples tested

With a scare of chikungunya looming large, health authorities are not taking any chances. Blood samples of 56 persons had been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune for testing.

So far in the tests, no cases of chikungunya had been reported, according to Dr Dilip Kumar Baliga, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services.

The high incidence of fever echoed in the Assembly on Monday, with a legislator highlighting a large number of people falling sick in Vanarapet in Upplam constituency.

This prompted officials in the Health Ministry to survey some of the thickly populated areas in Vanarapet on Monday evening. People in the area complained of a growing mosquito menace due to open drainages.

During the survey, the team came across 30 people, who have fallen sick due to fever in the last ten days. There are also reports of viral fever from Mahaveer Nagar. A large number of people with viral fever in Citizen Avenue, in Mahaveer Nagar, have complained of swollen legs.

Abirami, a housewife from Citizen Avenue, said her legs had remained inflated for the last three weeks and got skin rashes. Dr. Govindarajan, Medical Superintendent, Government general Hospital, said of late symptoms of viral fever were taking different shapes.

He said only persons, with viral fever and incapacitated for more than three to four days, should get tested for chikungunya. So far all the viral fever cases, treated at the General Hospital, had recuperated within five days, he added.

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