No Chikungunya deaths in TN, girl's death was suicide:KKSSR

Chennai, Aug 2 (UNI) No death was reported in Tamil Nadu due to outbreak of Chikungunya, Health Minister K K S S R Ramachandran told the State Assembly today.

He was responding to P K Sekar Babu (AIADMK), who drew the attention of the House to the death of a 14-year-old girl Noorjehan hailing from his R K Nagar constituency in the city due to the disease yesterday.

Stating that the girl had committed suicide as she did not have enough money for the treatment, the Minister said it was not such a dangerous disease prompting the girl to take the extreme step.

''It can be cured in three to four days'', he said and added that he would soon meet the Union Health Minister and seek more funds to tackle the disease.

Mr Ramachandran said at the recent conference of Health Ministers of Southern states held in Bangalore, it was revealed that Tamil Nadu was the least affected state. There had been no deaths so far in the state.

When Deputy Leader of the Opposition O Panneerselvam (AIADMK) wanted the Minister to take into account the number of patients being treated at private hospitals, he said preventive steps were being taken to check the spread of the disease.

''We are also monitoring the number of cases being treated at private hospitals'', he added.

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