Chikungunya Cases Surge in Tamil Nadu, State Government Issues Health Alert and Steps Up Surveillance
Amid a noticeable rise in chikungunya cases in parts of Tamil Nadu, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a statewide alert.
Chennai, January 22 (IANS): In response to the increasing number of chikungunya infections reported in several districts, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has asked district administrations and urban health bodies to step up surveillance, diagnosis, and mosquito-control measures to prevent further spread of the disease.
Health officials said heightened vigilance is necessary as current seasonal conditions remain favorable for mosquito breeding.
In an advisory issued to all district and city health officers, the department noted a rise in cases in Chennai, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, and Ariyalur districts. Patients are commonly presenting with high fever, severe joint pain, muscle aches, and extreme fatigue or drowsiness. The department has therefore stressed the importance of early detection and prompt clinical management.
To strengthen surveillance and prevention efforts, field officers have been instructed to collect adequate blood samples from fever-affected areas and ensure laboratory confirmation using IgM ELISA tests.
Health officials emphasized that timely reporting by all government and private hospitals, as well as diagnostic laboratories, is mandatory to curb the spread of the infection at an early stage. Any delay in reporting, they warned, could allow the virus to spread rapidly within communities.
The department has also directed that all designated dengue and chikungunya wards in hospitals must be kept mosquito-free, with sufficient beds and mosquito nets provided for patients.
Sentinel surveillance hospitals and medical colleges have been asked to maintain adequate stocks of government-approved diagnostic kits.
At the same time, training programs for doctors, nurses, and frontline health workers will be conducted based on updated national clinical management guidelines for fever, dengue, and chikungunya. Rapid Response Teams have been kept on standby with logistical and mobility support to deal with any sudden surge in cases.
District Collectors have been instructed to convene inter-departmental meetings to ensure coordinated action, including joint Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns and intensified vector-control drives.
At the ground level, district entomologists and health inspectors have been told to speed up source-reduction activities by eliminating stagnant water in artificial containers and conducting weekly mass cleanliness drives in high-risk areas. Daily larval surveillance, periodic indoor fogging, and the use of larvicides in large water containers have been made mandatory.
Stressing that public cooperation is crucial, health officials urged residents to clean water containers every week, use mosquito nets, wear protective clothing, and ensure proper solid waste management. The department said compliance will be reviewed daily, and action-taken reports will be regularly submitted to headquarters.
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