By IANS
Bangalore : At least 482 suspected chikungunya cases have been reported in Karnataka, officials said Thursday.
The authorities told IANS that the cases have been reported from 21 villages spread over eight districts: Bagalokot, Bangalore Rural, Belgaum, Davangere, Gulbarga, Hassan, Mysore and Uttara Kannda.
"These are only suspected cases identified on the basis of symptoms associated with chikungunya such as high fever, joint pain, swelling of limbs and fatigue.
"We have instructed all district health officials and malaria officers to visit the affected villages, treat the patients and improve the sanitary conditions," said G. Shivaram, the joint director for communicable diseases.
Pre-monsoon showers and intermittent rains over the last fortnight have led to the accumulation of stagnant water in several villages and towns in the absence of a good drainage system. The pools of rainwater have turned into a fertile ground for mosquitoes to breed. The aedes aegypti mosquito spreads chikungunya.
"The situation is under control. As the suspected cases are being treated, we do not foresee any serious situation or deaths taking place," said Shivaram.
The Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services has set up eight teams to collect blood samples from patients with symptoms of chikungunya for analysis at the National Institute of Virology laboratories in Bangalore and Pune.
"There is no need to panic. We suspect the cases could be malaria, dengue or chikunguniya. Some tests, however, rule out malaria or dengue," said M.B. Rudrappa, the director of health and family welfare.
Following the outbreak of chikunguniya in neighbouring Kerala, health camps have been set up in the border villages to check border movement.