Chikungunya Scare In Kerala

Doctors in Thiruvananthapuram said that there was no need to panic after several sporadic cases that could be diagnosed as viral fever were reported in the city.

Health authorities said that they were expecting an increase in cases as rains continue to pelt the state. The chikungunya scare so far was centered around Vizhinjam, but health officials said it could not be confined to some pockets as mosquitoes are increasing due to rains. "It is a fact that we failed to anticipate the emergence of the disease here. It was around July 20 that the viral fever epidemic peaked in Vizhinjam. On July 26, we collected blood samples to be sent to the virology lab at Pune. By August 20, when the confirmation of chikungunya came and preventive measures were intensified, the epidemic was on its way out," a health department official told The Hindu.