K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran

CHENNAI : The Government is moving stocks of specific indigenous formulations to hospitals to treat persons reporting with symptoms of chikungunya, Health Minister K.K.S.S.R.Ramachandran said on Thursday.

The formulations, which also treat the symptoms, have been recommended by the Directorate of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.

Two sets of drugs, one to treat fever, joint aches and swelling and the other to treat the joint aches that persist after the fever has subsided , have been specified.

Private practitioners seeking to treat patients with ISM drugs must consult the district Siddha doctor, he added. These drugs, however, have only curative properties and none of them can prevent onset of chikungunya.

With the State acquiring a testing kit, imported from China, blood tests to confirm chikungunya could now be done in Tamil Nadu itself, the Minister said. Hitherto, confirmation for all cases of chikungunya was not possible as blood samples had to be sent to Pune for testing.

A total of 60,000 people have been treated for the disease in the Government sector and many more in the private.

Special teams, comprising over 35,000 staff, have been formed to combat mosquito menace and Rs.2.69 crore has been allotted to buy 300 fogging machines from Germany.

In addition, a portion of the fresh allotment of Rs.11 crore will be spent on reducing breeding of mosquitoes. The allotment will also be used to conduct over 885 camps to provide a variety of health services at the doorstep. These include maternal and child health, treatment for fever, control of tuberculosis, testing and treatment for hypertension, family welfare and ophthalmological services.

Mr.Ramachandran also refuted AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa's allegation that chikungunya had led to deaths in the State, producing fact sheets from the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, U.S., to reiterate that the alphavirus causing the disease is self limiting. "There cannot be deaths because of chikungunya and it does not lead to brain fever, as is being rumoured," he told presspersons on Thursday.

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