CHENNAI: With chikungunya cases showing an upward trend across several southern districts, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a state-wide alert, directing district and city health officials to intensify surveillance, early diagnosis and mosquito-control measures to prevent further spread.
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According to the official guidelines circulated to all District Health Officers and City Health Officers, a rise in cases has been reported from Chennai, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Ariyalur. Fever, severe joint pain, muscle ache and drowsiness have been identified as the most common clinical symptoms.
Health authorities have instructed field officials to collect adequate blood samples in fever-affected areas and ensure laboratory confirmation through IgM ELISA tests to enable early containment. “Timely reporting by all hospitals and laboratories is mandatory to interrupt transmission at an early stage,” a senior public health official said.
The department has also asked that all identified dengue and chikungunya wards be made mosquito-free, with sufficient beds fitted with mosquito nets, and that government-recommended diagnostic kits are kept in stock at sentinel surveillance hospitals and medical colleges. Training programmes on the updated national clinical management guidelines for fever, dengue and chikungunya are to be organised for doctors and healthcare workers, officials said.
Rapid Response Teams have been instructed to remain on standby with mobility support to manage any sudden surge in cases. District collectors have been asked to convene inter-departmental meetings to strengthen coordinated action, including joint information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns and vector-control drives.
On the ground, district entomologists and health inspectors have been directed to intensify source-reduction measures, eliminate stagnant water in artificial containers, and conduct weekly mass-cleaning drives in high-risk areas. Daily larval surveillance, periodic indoor fogging and the application of larvicides in large water-storage containers have also been mandated.
“Community participation is critical,” an official said, urging residents to scrub water containers weekly, use bed nets, wear protective clothing and ensure proper solid-waste management. The department has made it clear that compliance with these measures will be reviewed daily, with action-taken reports to be submitted to the headquarters.