Abstract

Objective: To investigate the Chikungunya outbreak in rural Talegaon Dhamdhere Town of Pune City in Western Maharashtra in October–November 2012. Methods: Samples were collected from people who experienced fever and joint pains since a month ago. Clinical information was collected and entomological investigations were carried out in affected areas. Blood samples collected from hospital and clinics during the outbreak were tested for CHIKV using IgM ELISA (NIV kit), nested RT-PCR and real time RT-PCR. Age specific attack rates were calculated for the epidemic. Results: The overall attack rate for this outbreak was 4.64/1 000 population. The Breteau Index of the area was 12.0 and Adult House Index was 6.2%. A total of 63.6% samples were positive for CHIKV by either ELISA or PCR. Sequence analysis of the partial E1 gene in 4 representative samples found an alanine residue at position 226 of the E1 protein, showing that the CHIKV strain belonged to the ECSA genotype. Conclusions: The epidemic with low transmission intensity was experienced by this area from the western region of the state. This indicates probability of such outbreaks in areas that have witnessed larger Chikungunya outbreaks in the past. Sero-prevalence studies and surveillance for Chikungunya in wide areas of such regions will help formulate well directed policies.

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