Vadodara: While concerns were being raised regarding dengue cases, more chikungunya cases have started surfacing since about a week now in the city. The number of chikungunya cases reported in the city has already crossed the 200-mark and is consistently increasing.The consistently increasing number has led to concern among health officials of Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). The officials are closely monitoring the situation and trying to identify areas from where more cases are coming to take up preventive steps there.
While the health officials at the civic body have not been able to give an explanation to the rising numbers, World Health Organization (WHO) website states that outbreaks of chikungunya are often separated by periods of more than 10 years. The last major outbreak of chikungunya was reported in India in 2006 over a decade ago.
VMC health officials said a major issue that had come to light in the pattern of cases so far is that the cases are coming from residential societies and not slum areas or similar settlements. “When we checked the houses in residential societies, mosquito breeding sites were found in clean water there,” said VMC medical officer (health) Dr Mukesh Vaidya.
Sources said the civic body was also coordinating with private practitioners and asking them to share information regarding vector-borne diseases. It was also taking inputs from some leading physicians who are treating such cases in large numbers.