Kasara in the grip of chikungunya

A sudden rise in chikungunya cases in Thane has forced the state health department to declare it an epidemic and rush a team of doctors to the interior villages.

The state pressed the panic button when around 75% villagers from Kasara fell ill. District health officials confirmed that over 500 villagers were suffering from symptoms of chikungunya like body ache, pain in the joints, high fever, severe pain in hips and cold.

“There was a rise in patients from Kasara, Ningadwadi and Mokhawane in a week,” said district health officer Dr Sanjay Lokhande. Around 20 blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

“Fifteen samples tested positive for chikungunya,” he added. A team of 13 health workers and five health inspectors have been visiting every house to identify and treat the patients. Experts from the NIV have already visited the affected villages.

“The mosquito, aedes aegypti, which causes chikungunya, breed in stagnant water and the water supply in the villages is erratic so they store water,” he said.

“The local authorities will now ensure that storage tanks are cleaned once a week.”