After floods, disease alert in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: A health warning has been issued in flood-ravaged Surat city following two deaths due to suspected Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Hantavirus spreads through rat urine, droppings or saliva and affects the kidneys, lungs, pulmonary system or the heart.

The warning was issued late on Wednesday and people have been asked to take precautions and avoid large gatherings since the possibility of contracting the virus is high.

Vikas Desai, head of the preventive social medicine department, said two people -- Dipak Tarsariya (24) and Kanji Ghaskata (36) -- both residents of Katargam area in Surat, died due to the disease.

Desai, however, ruled out the possibility of plague in the city.

"Tests have not revealed any plague symptoms so far. Serum samples collected from the patients have been sent to the New Delhi-based National Institute of Communicable Diseases for further tests," Desai said.

After the weeklong deluge, people began fleeing the city in large numbers fearing epidemics. Memories of the 1994 plague continue to haunt the people of Surat and not too many are ready to take any chances.

Surat city was flooded for nearly a week following release of water from the Ukai dam a fortnight ago.

Meanwhile, the rains and flooding in Gujarat have also led to an outbreak of chikungunya across the state, especially in Ahmedabad.

Chikungunya is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam put the figure of such cases at 2,500.

"We have launched a special drive in which 1,000 paramedical staff will go from house-to-house to give medicines and check the spread of chikungunya after 2,500 cases were recorded in the past one month," Gautam said.

He said all 43 urban health centres in the city were assigned the task of distributing chikungunya medicines. Sixty-two mobile dispensaries have also been allocated for the purpose.

Authorities have also formed 50 teams to survey low-lying areas of the city near the Sabarmati river that were flooded earlier, Gautam said. The teams will trace the breeding grounds of mosquitoes and spray medicines there, he said.