Health and Me

Ishita Srivastava

Chikungunya Spreads Across Tamil Nadu: All You Need To Know

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a statewide alert across <span>Tamil Nadu</span> due to a sudden uptick in <span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/chikungunya">chikungunya</a></span> cases in multiple cities. 

Cases have been reported across <span>Chennai</span>, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Ariyalur. It remains unknown how many people have been affected and if any deaths have occurred. 

Caused by the chikungunya virus, chikungunya virus disease (CHIKVD) is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes (<span>Aedes</span> aegypti and Aedes albopictus<em>) </em>to humans. The illness usually starts with flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain and rashes.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/this-is-why-emmanuel-macron-wore-sunglasses-at-davos-article-153486988" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">This Is Why Emmanuel Macron Wore Sunglasses At Davos</a>

Typically, the illness has no clear no symptoms, especially in children and can easily be misdiagnosed as dengue and Zika. While there are no specific antiviral treatments for chikungunya virus infections, medications such as antipyretic and analgesic medications (such as paracetamol) for fever and pain can be used to ease the pain.

Most patients recover completely from the infection, but occasional cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications have been previously been reported with CHIKV infections.

<h2>What Are Tamil Nadu Officials Doing To Contain Cases?</h2>To improve virus containment, health officials across the state have been instructed to collect sufficient blood samples in fever-prone areas and ensure laboratory confirmation using IgM ELISA tests, which can detect recent or acute viral infections. 

Authorities have also emphasized that all government and private hospitals as well as diagnostic laboratories, need to timely report cases to ensure the infection does not spread . Any delay in reporting, officials noted, could allow the virus to spread rapidly within communities.

On the local level, district entomologists and health inspectors have been told to eliminate stagnant water in artificial containers and conduct weekly mass-cleaning drives in high-risk areas.

The DPH has also ordered that all designated dengue and chikungunya wards in hospitals be kept mosquito-free, with adequate bed strength and sufficient mosquito nets for patients.

<strong>READ MORE:</strong> <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/what-is-chikungunya-and-how-can-it-be-prevented-article-151001610" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">What Is Chikungunya And How Can It Be Prevented?</a>

<h2>Can Chikungunya Spread Easily?</h2>While the illness does not spread directly from person-to-person through touching or coughing; however, in some rare cases, mother-to-baby transmission during childbirth is possible and infected individuals should avoid further bites to prevent spreading the virus.

Cases typically emerge mostly in the Americas, Asia and Africa and occasionally in Europe. However,  nearly 30,000 CHIKVD cases have been recorded, including 83 associated deaths from 12 countries namely from China, Singapore, Pakistan, France, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, marking it as one of the biggest outbreaks in the world. 

Health Conditions A-Z

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tamil nadu

aedes

Chikungunya

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Zika Virus Infection

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The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a statewide alert across Tamil Nadu due to a sudden uptick in chikungunya cases in multiple cities. Cases have been reported across Chennai, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Ariyalur. It remains unknown how many people have been affected and if any deaths have occurred. Caused by the chikungunya virus, chikungunya virus disease (CHIKVD) is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) to humans. The illness usually starts with flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain and rashes.Also Read: This Is Why Emmanuel Macron Wore Sunglasses At DavosTypically, the illness has no clear no symptoms, especially in children and can easily be misdiagnosed as dengue and Zika. While there are no specific antiviral treatments for chikungunya virus infections, medications such as antipyretic and analgesic medications (such as paracetamol) for fever and pain can be used to ease the pain.Most patients recover completely from the infection, but occasional cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications have been previously been reported with CHIKV infections.What Are Tamil Nadu Officials Doing To Contain Cases?To improve virus containment, health officials across the state have been instructed to collect sufficient blood samples in fever-prone areas and ensure laboratory confirmation using IgM ELISA tests, which can detect recent or acute viral infections. Authorities have also emphasized that all government and private hospitals as well as diagnostic laboratories, need to timely report cases to ensure the infection does not spread . Any delay in reporting, officials noted, could allow the virus to spread rapidly within communities.On the local level, district entomologists and health inspectors have been told to eliminate stagnant water in artificial containers and conduct weekly mass-cleaning drives in high-risk areas.The DPH has also ordered that all designated dengue and chikungunya wards in hospitals be kept mosquito-free, with adequate bed strength and sufficient mosquito nets for patients.READ MORE: What Is Chikungunya And How Can It Be Prevented?Can Chikungunya Spread Easily?While the illness does not spread directly from person-to-person through touching or coughing; however, in some rare cases, mother-to-baby transmission during childbirth is possible and infected individuals should avoid further bites to prevent spreading the virus.Cases typically emerge mostly in the Americas, Asia and Africa and occasionally in Europe. However,  nearly 30,000 CHIKVD cases have been recorded, including 83 associated deaths from 12 countries namely from China, Singapore, Pakistan, France, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, marking it as one of the biggest outbreaks in the world. 