Over 1,000 suspected chikungunya cases in Madurai

A staff member of the Madurai Corporation sanitising buses during the previous incidence of the disease in 2007. File photo: S. James

Over 1,000 suspected cases of chikungunya have been reported from various localities of Madurai in the last one week, Health department officials said today.

Private hospitals in Chinthamani, Melamadai, Vilachery, Karimedu and Ponnagaram have reported cases of suspected chikungunya with patients complaining of fever, head ache and severe joint pain, they said.

Officials at the Rajaji government hospital said they were daily getting 25 suspected cases for the past two weeks and most of them were from Madurai.

“Since people showed symptoms of chikungunya with swollen feet, blood samples of 2,635 persons have been collected and sent for testing,” Directorate of Public Health officials said.

We would know about the extent to which the mosquito induced fever had spread only after receiving the results, another official said.

Preventive measures, including sprinkling bleaching powder, fogging pesticides and removal of water stagnated in these areas have been taken, they added.