In response to the growing number of chikungunya cases reported from various parts of Tamil Nadu, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has announced a statewide alert.
Chennai, Jan 22:
With chikungunya cases increasing in several districts of Tamil Nadu, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a state-level alert and instructed health authorities to intensify surveillance, testing and mosquito-control measures to prevent further spread.
Health officials noted that prevailing seasonal conditions are conducive to mosquito breeding, making enhanced monitoring essential at this stage.
In a circular issued to District Health Officers and City Health Officers, the department reported a rise in infections in districts including Chennai, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Ariyalur. Most patients have reported symptoms such as high fever, intense joint pain, body aches and extreme tiredness, prompting officials to emphasise early detection and timely treatment.
To strengthen disease surveillance, field teams have been directed to collect adequate blood samples from fever-affected areas and ensure laboratory confirmation through IgM ELISA testing.
Authorities stressed that prompt reporting by both government and private hospitals, along with diagnostic laboratories, is mandatory to help break transmission chains. Any delay in reporting could accelerate community spread, officials warned.
Hospitals have also been instructed to keep designated dengue and chikungunya wards mosquito-free, maintain sufficient bed capacity and ensure availability of mosquito nets for admitted patients. Sentinel surveillance hospitals and medical colleges have been asked to stock approved diagnostic kits.
Additionally, training sessions based on updated national treatment guidelines for fever-related illnesses, including dengue and chikungunya, will be conducted for doctors, nurses and frontline health workers. Rapid Response Teams have been placed on alert, with logistical support to manage sudden surges in cases.
District Collectors have been advised to hold inter-departmental coordination meetings to ensure unified action, including awareness campaigns and intensified vector-control operations.
At the local level, health inspectors and entomology teams have been instructed to step up source-reduction efforts by removing stagnant water from artificial containers and conducting weekly cleanliness drives in vulnerable areas. Measures such as daily larval monitoring, periodic indoor fogging and use of larvicides in large water-storage units have been made compulsory.
Emphasising the role of public participation, officials urged residents to clean water containers weekly, use mosquito nets, wear protective clothing and maintain proper waste disposal practices. The department said compliance would be monitored daily, with regular reports submitted to headquarters.
