Nagesh Prabhu and

S. Rajendran

Following reports of chikungunya resurfacing in a big way in the State, the Government has launched a series of measures to contain the disease.

Latest reports available with the Government have indicated that the viral disease has spread to 13 taluks in eight districts. As many as 740 suspected cases have been reported. Some of the districts where the disease is predominant are Mysore (329 cases), Bangalore Rural (40), Uttara Kannada (78), Bagalkot (4), Davangere (83), Hassan (198), Gulbarga (1) and Belgaum (7). No death has been reported so far, according to officials of the Directorate of Health and Family Services.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare R. Ashok told The Hindu here that the Government had purchased 500 fogging machines to contain spread of the disease. Villages surrounding areas where the disease was predominant would be provided with a fogging machine. The machines would be sent to the affected areas on Monday, he said.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramdoss has called a meeting of Health Department officials in New Delhi on June 21. Karnataka is one of the States which has been invited.

Chikungunya crippled over two lakh people in the State last year during which 13.9 million people were infected with the disease in 16 States.

Mr. Ashok said that directions had been issued to all government hospitals to stock paracetamol and IV fluids. It had been decided to seek Rs. 4-crore financial assistance from the Centre for taking preventive measures, he said.

Blood samples of 95 people had been tested at the National Institute of Virology Field Station in Bangalore and of this, 16 had been classified as positive. Five positive cases each have been reported from Belgaum and Bangalore Rural, two from Davangere, and one each from Uttara Kannada, Bagalkot, Gulbarga and Hassan districts.

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