This year Nagpur is witnessing more cases of chikungunya than that of dengue. From January till now, of the 304 tested, 38 persons returned positive for dengue while 88 persons reported positive for chikungunya. According to health experts, the reason behind rise in cases of chikungunya is the water that gets logged, which in turn gives birth to mosquitoes, which spread diseases and also the climate. This year Nagpurians faced humidity due to which people did not keep water-coolers aside. In most homes the coolers still have water stored, plus puddles created by rain water creating mosquitos breeding sites. Till now Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s Health Department was sending the blood samples of the patients to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH). Now NMC has procured its own testing kits. Most private hospitals too are now availing the benefits of these testing kits. Dr Deepak Jeswani of Criticare Hospital explained, “Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans through by mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus.

 

The most common symptom is an abrupt onset of fever, often accompanied by joint pain.” Dr P P Joshi, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of All India Institute of Medical Sciences pointed out, “The disease is not fatal but whosoever tests positive experiences severe joint pain even after he or she recovers. Symptoms of chikungunya appear between 4 and 7 days after the patient has been bitten by the infected mosquito. The disease is not spread from person to person, but mosquitoes pick up the virus when biting an infected person. If one has the infection, avoid getting new mosquito bites to keep the virus from spreading to others.” Dr Raj Gajbhiye, Dean, Government Medical College and Hospital and Dr Ravi Chavan, Dean, IGGMCH made it clear, “Considering large number of cases, we have kept our wards ready. At present the cases are coming from various zones. The severity is not much and till now we did not have to admit the patients. But people should take care of their health and keep area clean.” Nagpur Municipal Corporation is taking measures to curb this dreaded disease. The team of health department is constantly checking houses and making people aware of not to store water.