As the death count from chikungunya in Kerala's coastal Alappuzha district and nearby areas rose to 65 on Monday, the state government sought the help of experts from World Health Organisation-affiliated national institutions to tackle the situation.
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has convened an all-party meeting on Tuesday to elicit views on stepping up efforts to contain the disease.
Health Minister P K Sreemathi, who is camping at Alappuzha from where most of the casualties were reported, said a WHO team comprising experts from national institutes on communicable diseases would arrive in the district on October 5 to make an on-the-spot assessment.
The team, which had offered to bring diagnostic kits, would also look into the possibility of the incidence of other types of viral fever in the area where canals, streams and backwaters provided a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes.
