After encephalitis killed off hundreds of children five years ago, the Central and State governments chose the Warangal district for mass vaccination of children. Expensive vaccines were imported from China and five lakh children under the age of 13 were vaccinated. However, a year later, chikungunya raged through the area, rendering thousands bed-ridden for months with the excruciating pain in their joints. This makes it evident that coordinated and comprehensive action is necessary. However, authorities have only organized one medical camp in the district so far. People have been demanding more medical camps and the long-awaited establishment of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Warangal.

Meanwhile, viral fever cases are also increasing sharply in the East and West Godavari districts. In East Godavari, as many as 4,000 viral fever cases were reported at the Public health centres between April 1 to September 23 and 3,314 malaria cases between January to August 2008. In West Godavari, nearly 1,500 cases of viral fevers have been reported along with two suspected cases of Dengue fever. Viral fever and malaria are also stalking the tribal areas of Adilabad, mainly because of the consumption of polluted drinking water.

Despite the outbreak, health and medical officials have not been active in the agency areas, which is evident from the suspension of 5 doctors, for their absence in the public health centers at the time of inspection by the Minister for Major Irrigation, Mr.Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

Majority of the drinking water schemes in interior areas are defunct and tribals depend on polluted rivulets. The district administration has been monitoring the situation in the affected tribal mandals and has appointed special officers to each mandal. As many as 36 doctors from plain areas were deployed in tribal belts to ensure that emergency cases are being attended at PHCs.

170 tribals had died of fever and other diseases this season. However, fevers have come down in 11 Agency mandals of Vishakapatnam this year when compared to previous years. From 10,453 malaria cases in 2005, the number came down to 2,426 in 2007 and 984 this year. This was mainly because of the regular medical camps conducted by the health department where blood samples were taken.

Realizing the gravity of the viral outbreak in Warangal, the state government has deployed 108 emergency services in the fever stricken areas. Besides this, as many as 20 mobile medical teams with special ambulance facilities are roaming the Eturnagaram Agency areas.

511 Asha volunteers were drafted for services in viral-hit agency areas and medicines worth Rs 5 lakh were distributed to the tribal people who were affected in the Eturnagaram forest area, by minister in-charge of the district. More than 34,000 mosquito nets were being distributed among tribal families in the agency areas of the district. Sanitation drives have been intensified in each gram panchayat in order to prevent the outbreak Also free travel facilities are being offered to shift patients to the MGM Hospital in Warangal.