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Viral fever: Kerala on alert

Thiruvananthapuram: The Health Department has put its entire machinery on alert in Kerala following reports of viral fever from Vadakara in Kozhikode district.

According to senior Health Department officials, two cases of viral fever are suspected to be chikungunya. Two months ago, 10 cases of suspected chikungunya were reported from Vadakara, and these are yet to be confirmed.

Health experts said the concentration of the Aedes aegypti mosquito species had been high in Vadakara for the past three years.

A large number of dengue cases were also being reported there.

In many areas in Vadakara, water shortage was acute and water was stored in huge containers in most houses.

According to experts, the situation is similar to what happened at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram, from where the first cases of chikungunya were confirmed in 2005-06. In Vizhinjam, the disease was first reported from places where water was stored in containers. Health officials said vector control activities had been launched across the State, as per a plan for chikungunya prevention.

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