Coimbatore: "Chikungunya is very much under control in Tamil Nadu and not a single case of fatality has been reported so far", State Health Secretary V.K. Subburaj said here on Saturday.

He was addressing a press conference after a review meeting with Public Health officials of 14 districts and the Director of Public Health, P. Padmanabhan, and the Dean of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, T.P.Kalaniti.

He pointed out that since June this year the State had recorded 63,000 cases of suspected chikungunya, 23,000 in July alone.

Namakkal district reported 12,000 such cases from June to August. During October only about 500 cases were reported in the State.

Fear psychosis

Mr.Subburaj said out of sheer "fear psychosis" even various cases of fever were being been misconstrued as "chikungunya."

"We have not witnessed a single scientifically proved death due to chikungunya," he said.

At the same time, he admitted that dengue was a killer disease.

When 816 persons in the State were affected by dengue in 2001, there were eight fatalities.

The number of cases declined to 376 next year but shot up to 1,610 in 2003, which saw nine fatalities. In 2004, it dipped once again to 1,035 cases.

However, 1,138 cases were reported with eight fatalities the next year.

Dengue cases

The Secretary was categorical that not a single fatal case of dengue had been reported in the State this year despite its outbreak in various parts of the country.

"We had report of a suspected dengue case in Vellore. But enquiry revealed that the death was due to some other reason".

While Mr.Subburaj was happy to point out that the six-week-Operation Chikungunya, launched about a month ago, was systematic and extremely successful, he admitted that the number of vacancies — about 12,5000 — in the Health department was a handicap. Steps had been initiated to fill these.

The endeavour to curb chikungunya would help prevent dengue also as both were spread by mosquitoes. Thanks to the operation, mosquito index had slumped from 50 to the safe level of 5.

While the State Government had allocated Rs 14.2 crore for the operation, it had also allotted Rs 12 crore for the visit of medical teams to various places that reported chikungunya cases and for providing outreach services.

About cases reported at private hospitals, he said a particular officer had been assigned the task of collecting information.

"Notified disease"

Dr.Padmanabhan said dengue was a "notified disease" and it was mandatory for private hospitals to inform the Public Health department. "We are going to notify chikungunya too."

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