Chikungunya cases in Delhi rise to 560

New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) Chikungunya cases in Delhi haveshot up to 560, according to a municipal report releasedtoday, even as hospitals in the city continue to be swamped bypatients affected by this vector-borne disease. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) whichcompiles the vector-borne disease cases report on behalf ofall civic bodies, had pegged the total number of cases tillAugust 27 at 432. The 128 fresh cases in one week measures far too littlecompared to its cases being reported at hospitals, on anaverage close to 200 per week. Only 20 chikungunya cases were diagnosed in the nationalcapital till August 20, according to SDMC. However, Safdarjung Hospital itself reported nearly 250cases till August 29. Doctors say the cases are further likely to rise. "Chikungunya cases have spiked in the city. We aregetting more and more patients with its symptoms. Till August29, our hospital reported 246 cases," Medical Superintendentof Safdarjung Hospital A K Rai said. At the AIIMS laboratories, which get blood samples fromDelhi and other parts of the country, 362 samples were testedpositive for chikungunya during July to August 20. "Out of 133 samples sent to our labs, 83 were testedpositive in July and this month till August 20, out of 502samples, 279 tested positive for chikungunya," Department ofMicrobiology at AIIMS, Lalit Dar, had earlier said. Chikungunya is a viral illness and its symptoms aresimilar to those of dengue, which include high-grade fever,severe joint pain, muscle pain and headache and jointswelling. It also causes rashes in patients but is not a threatlike dengue in which there is a risk of bleeding due to abruptfall in platelet count. Meanwhile, IMA President-Elect Dr K K Aggarwal cautionedabout chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that can causeCHIKV-associated encephalitis. "Children younger than 1 year and adults aged 65 years orolder have the highest incidence of CHIKV-associatedencephalitis," he said, while claiming such cases areoccurring in Delhi. The sudden spike in chikungunya cases in Delhi andseveral other parts of north India, has come nearly 10 yearsafter a big outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease across thecountry. PTI KNDRG