AHMEDABAD:
Chikungunya cases in Ahmedabad
registered a 645% increase in
September
and
October
as compared to 2019. The city reported 410 cases of
chikungunya in the two months. The figure was 55 during the same period in 2019.
The city in 2020 has so far reported 481 cases of chikungunya. In first eight months, the city reported 71 cases which increased to 125 in September and in October it rose by 285.
A senior official from the department said that the city in September reported nearly four cases of chikungunya per day which increased to six in the first 10 days of October. In the remaining 21 days of October the cases were registered at an average of nearly 11 cases per day.
The officials are still wondering as to why the cases of chikungunya are increasing in the city. The
AMC
health department is yet to zero in on the causes of the increase as both chikungunya and
dengue
belong to the same vector family.
In September and October there were 130 cases of dengue against 410 of chikungunya.
“It comes as a surprise as we see a ratio of one case of dengue against 10 cases of chikungunya. I feel that the virus has mutated,” said Dr Manoj Vithalani, a city-based consulting physician.
Himanshu Kaushik is Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India...
Read MoreHimanshu Kaushik is Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, Ahmedabad. He reports on Wildlife and state government. He takes special interest in reporting on wildlife, especially the lions of Gir. His likes listening to music.
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