The Hindu : National : No chikungunya deaths: Minister

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Thursday, Oct 12, 2006
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No chikungunya deaths: Minister

Aarti Dhar

— Photo: R. V. Moorthy

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss with AIIMS Director P. Venugopal after visiting dengue and chikungunya patients at the AIIMS in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: The Union Government on Wednesday said there were no deaths due to chikungunya and the mortality attributed to the disease could have been caused by tuberculosis, heart diseases and cancer.

The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry also announced a financial package worth Rs. 20 crore to the dengue and chikungunya affected States.

The conclusion that chikungunya had not caused any death was based on the preliminary findings of the Central team that visited Kerala last week to investigate the deaths there. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Mr.Ramadoss told reporters after a meeting of the State Health Ministers on `Chikungunya Fever' that the final report of the team would be submitted in a couple of days.

The Central team, comprising experts from the World Health Organisation, National Institute of Virology and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, visited Kerala after the State Government attributed a spate of deaths in several districts to chikungunya fever.

He said 70 per cent of the cases (deaths) analysed had a medical history and were in the age group of 60-65.

The Ministry has also asked the National Institute of Virology at Pune to augment its capacity for making chikungunya testing kits, as these they were not commercially available anywhere in the world.

Chikungunya cases were coming down in the southern States. There were 13.27 lakh suspected cases in 165 districts of 10 States. As for dengue, 4,039 cases had been reported with 84 deaths, Delhi and Maharashtra each accounting for 22 deaths.

Dengue death toll 84

Even as the chikungunya incidence showed a decline, there was a spurt in the dengue deaths in the country in the past 24 hours, with the death toll touching 84. The number of cases crossed the 4,000 mark.

The National Capital Region of Delhi and Maharashtra accounted for 22 deaths each. As many as 1,101 dengue patients were being treated in the Capital and 226 in Maharashtra, according to the figures provided by the National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme.

Delhi also saw a spurt in the number of suspected chikungunya cases, with the figure touching 194 on Wednesday.

Andhra Pradesh has reported four deaths and 18 cases, Karnataka two deaths and 86 suspected cases and Kerala four deaths and 60 cases.

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