The Hindu : Front Page : Visitors being screened for chikungunya, dengue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 05, 2006
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Visitors being screened for chikungunya, dengue

Ramya Kannan

Surveillance booths at railways stations, bus terminus

PREVENTIVE STEP: Corporation personnel screening passengers for chikungunya and dengue at the Koyambedu bus terminus on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: Surveillance booths to screen visitors for symptoms of chikungunya and dengue have been set up at the Central and Egmore stations and the Mofussil Bus Terminus at Koyambedu on Wednesday.

It is estimated that the Central Station has about 1.5 lakh visitors everyday, while over 80,000 passengers pass through the Egmore station and over 1,00,000 people use the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus on a weekday.

Chennai Corporation health officials assigned a team consisting of a doctor and a nurse to each of the entry points.

Fliers and pamphlets containing information about the symptoms, diagnosis and the treatment for chikungunya and dengue are being distributed, P.Padmanabhan, Director of Public Health, told The Hindu .

The surveillance network will be expanded to major airports in Tamil Nadu.

Corporation Health Officer (in charge) P. Kuganantham said visitors to the city contributed to the spreading of infections.

"The incidence of chikungunya fell last week, but over the long pooja weekend, when a number of visitors came in, the number of cases went up."

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