Chikungunya cases rise in southern TN, govt issues alert

January 22, 2026

Chennai: Amid a noticeable increase in chikungunya infections across several districts of Tamil Nadu, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a statewide alert. District administrations and urban health bodies have been directed to step up monitoring, diagnosis, and mosquito-control efforts to prevent further transmission. Health officials emphasized that seasonal conditions remain favourable for mosquito breeding, making heightened vigilance essential.

Key measures for surveillance and clinical management

The advisory, circulated to all District Health Officers and City Health Officers, noted a rise in cases in Chennai, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Ariyalur. Patients commonly present with high fever, severe joint pain, muscle aches, fatigue, and drowsiness, prompting the need for early identification and prompt clinical care.

Field officials have been instructed to collect sufficient blood samples in fever-prone areas and ensure laboratory confirmation using IgM ELISA tests. All government and private hospitals, as well as diagnostic labs, must report cases timely to enable early interruption of transmission. Hospitals with designated dengue and chikungunya wards are required to maintain mosquito-free environments, adequate beds, and sufficient mosquito nets.

Community action and vector control initiatives

Sentinel surveillance hospitals and medical colleges must maintain stocks of government-approved diagnostic kits, while Rapid Response Teams remain on standby. Training programmes based on updated national clinical management guidelines are to be conducted for doctors, nurses, and frontline health workers.

District Collectors are tasked with coordinating inter-departmental action, including joint IEC campaigns and intensified vector-control drives. At the grassroots level, entomologists and health inspectors will eliminate stagnant water, conduct weekly mass-cleaning drives, and enforce daily larval surveillance, indoor fogging, and larvicide application in water storage containers.

Residents are urged to scrub water-storage vessels weekly, use bed nets, wear protective clothing, and ensure proper waste management. Compliance will be monitored daily, with action-taken reports submitted to headquarters regularly.