The Hindu Business Line : No chikungunya - related deaths: Minister

Although reports from Kerala have suggested more than 100 deaths were due to chikungunya, the Minister insisted that the infection was non-fatal, and the deaths had nothing to do with the fast spreading viral.

"I have personally visited the State. And I can tell you that in most of the cases those who died had other complications, TB, cancer or histories of cardiac problems. In 70 per cent of the cases in Kerala, the patients were between 60 and 65 years of age," said the Minister.

"When we have accepted dengue-related deaths why will we shy away from chikungunya deaths, if any," he asked and requested the media to spread awareness and not panic.

The viral, which has affected 1.3 million people so far, has just been reported from the Andamans and Nicobar, taking the number of affected States to 11. Other States are Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi.

About Rs 20 crore has already been spent in assisting the States, the Minister said and promised an additional Rs 20 crore besides testing kits, fogging machines, information support, and chemicals.

Since both dengue and chikungunya were carried by the same female mosquito Aedes Aegipti, the Minsiter was hopeful that the measures taken for dengue would prevent the spread of chikungunya in the northern States.

Stating that surveillance systems in some States had been weak, infrastructure inadequate, and election in some States, Dr. Ramadoss hoped that the Rs 400-crore World Bank project to get the entire country networked under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme by the end of next year to prevent and better control of future outbreaks will prove beneficial.