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| An entire village hit by outbreak |
| A large number of people in Pushpagiri near Mysore have displayed symptoms such as swelling of joints.
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| INDIA
, 13-June-2007
1:48:27 AM |
| An outbreak of a disease with chikungunya-like symptoms has affected a large number of residents in the village of Pushpagiri near Mysore over the last few weeks. While residents say that scores of families have been infected, district Health Department officials restrict the number of reported cases to 55 in the last seven days.
Residents are reporting symptoms of high fever accompanied by severe chills, acute body ache and joint pains.
These are usually followed by swelling of the joints and limbs. Many say that they have experienced blackouts.
The Hindu visited Pushpagiri (which has a population of 2,500) and met with several of its residents. According to some, about 150 blood samples have been collected from the sick and sent to Bangalore for analysis.
For Sara Joseph, whose husband is a security guard in the Defence Food Research Laboratory, times have been difficult as six members of her family, including her three children, are undergoing treatment.
"My two sons have gone to school although they are still under treatment, and my daughter could not write her B.Com examination because of a severe joint pain in the fingers. My husband is the sole breadwinner, and the medical expenditure is eating away at our meagre savings," she said.
An unusual silence pervades this semi-urban settlement. Very few people can be seen moving about as there is more than one patient in most homes.
Mary (65) says she too has symptoms of swelling, joint pains and severe chills, accompanied by fever. A blood test conducted at a local diagnostic centre could not pinpoint the cause of infection.
Located adjacent to Belavatta near the Outer Ring Road and the Reserve Bank of India's currency note printing unit, Pusphagiri is a semi-urban settlement hardly 15 minutes drive from Mysore.
Pushpagiri's residents are mostly poor, and the visitation of this illness has made it even more difficult for these families to make ends meet.
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