Amid dengue scare, 289 chikungunya cases logged in Patna

PATNA: Even as the state continues to grapple with the dengue menace, another vector-borne disease — chikungunya— has quietly reared its head with 322 cases, including 289 in the city, reported till Tuesday. In comparison, the figure for the entire year in 2018 stood at 156.
As per data shared by the state health department, the maximum number of chikungunya cases is from Patna so far followed by Nalanda, which had 10 cases till Wednesday.A health department official asked people to take precautions citing previous year’s trend when most of the chikangunya cases were recorded between mid-October and November.
“In 2018, many people suffering from chikungunya travelled to Bihar during Durga Puja and Chhath carrying the virus with them, so this time also people need to be cautious and take all necessary precautions to prevent mosquito bites,” he said. As per the health department data, in only one case from Nalanda it has been reported that the patient travelled from Bangalore while none of the cases in Patna had any travel history.
When asked about the massive rise in chikungunya cases this year, the principal secretary of health department, Sanjay Kumar, said, “Since the carrier of the vector for both dengue and chikungunya is the same and because of the increase in dengue cases this year, there is also an increase in the number of chikungunya cases.”
Citing the example of the report submitted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Kumar added, “In 40% of the households surveyed by the central team active larvae was found. People are not sanitizing their houses well.”
Talking about the difference in symptoms of chikungunya and dengue, Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) medicine department associate professor RD Singh said in both cases a person suffers from fever but in the case of dengue there is body ache while in chikungunya there is pain in the joints.
“Though rashes occur in both cases, in dengue there is no rash on palm and soles but in chikungunya there can be rashes even on palms and soles and lower limbs swell in the case of chikungunya. In dengue there is a critical phase of five to seven days and a person can recover after 10 days. But the chikungunya pain can persist for two to three weeks at least,” said Singh.