Kerala chikungunya toll now 96

New Delhi: There have been reports of chikununya cases across 10 states in the country with Kerala being one of the worst hit.

The death toll in Kerala has reached 96, with five more deaths being reported in Alappuzha district on Sunday.

It hasn't been confirmed if chikungunya was the cause of the deaths. However, more than 43,000 suspected cases of chikungunya have been reported so far in Kerala.

Of them, more than 2,000 patients are still under treatment in different hospitals.

National Rural Health Mission Director Dinesh Arora has been appointed head of the Sanitation Drive Action Committee in Cherthala Taluk and a special squad had been formed under the Health department for anti-mosquito drive in the region, official sources said.

State Director of Health Services Kuttamani said that the number of fever cases had come down in Alappuzha District.

He expressed the hope that with the action plan being implemented, the disease could be contained soon.

All District Medical Officers had been allocated required funds for implementing the sanitation drive.

The central team comprising experts from WHO, National Institute of Virology and National Institute of Communicable Diseases, who had been camping at Cherthala in the last few days, would submit its report to the Centre on Monday, the sources said.

Meanwhile, a study by an IMA team found that deaths occurred in Alappuzha since early September was not possibly due to chikungunya.

Of the 32 persons who died in Cherthala taluk hospital in September, only one had suspected symptoms of chikungunya.

All others were identifiable cases of death due to heart attack, stroke and respiratory problems, the study found.

The IMA report, which was released by state president C K Chandrasekharan on Sunday, said that the organisation would focus on mosquito eradication programme to contain the spread of viral fever.

Other states affected by chikungunya: