As chikungunya fever, a rare mosquito-transmitted fever, grips many states of India, the Indian Medical Association has urged people not to panic because the disease is not dangerous and subsides in 70 to 80 per cent cases. "Its effect would disappear in two to three weeks; prevention is important through control of mosquitoes and maintenance of personal hygiene,' said L V Raghava Rao, president of the Visakhapatnam branch of the association, at a press conference held in Visakhapatnam recently.

The maximum suspected cases reported are from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Health experts say the disease has resurfaced in India after a gap of 33 years, with the first case reported in March 2006. By now, in Andhra Pradesh alone, the disease has affected at least 11,000 people in 17 districts. Till now, no concrete government assessment exists regarding the disease in India.