After two cases in August, five more cases of mosquito-borne chikungunya disease have been reported in the district in the past 10 days. All the patients are below 15 years of age.
The five patients found positive at Rajindra hospital on Friday are from Shanti Ngagr (Urban Estate), Dudhan Sadhan (2) and Samana area (2).
A patient each from Tripuri and Dhudan Sadhan were found positive for the disease in the last week of August. The patients were a girl aged 15 and an 8-year-old boy.
“All the patients are below 15 years of age. Mosquito breeding is the main cause behind the outbreak of the disease,” said district epidemiologist Dr Gurmanjeet Kaur.
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitos, the vector responsible for the spread of dengue. It is a debilitating illness that usually starts with fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pains and rashes.
{{/usCountry}}Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitos, the vector responsible for the spread of dengue. It is a debilitating illness that usually starts with fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pains and rashes.
{{/usCountry}}“Dengue and chikungunya have the common mosquito. The symptoms are the same, but in chikungunya, a patient can’t walk for long due to joint pain,” Kaur said. The health department has sent teams to different parts of the district for fogging and spreading awareness regarding the disease.
“Our teams have started awareness campaigns and we are conducting surveys regarding the cases. Usually, when we can’t detect dengue, we suggest test for chikungunya. The tests are free in government hospitals and patient get free treatment,” said Dr Subodh Gupta, civil surgeon, Patiala.