Several cases of what is believed to be the mosquito-borne Chikungunya disease has been reported in Addu atoll, the Hithadhoo Regional Hospital has said. The Hospital however said that even though several cases had been reported there was no evidence that the disease was spreading uncontrollably. Ali Musthafa, the Assistant Director of the Hospital, said that they had first noticed that cases of those who had been diagnosed with a viral infection were increasing on the 12th of this month. He said that the symptoms exhibited by those who had contacted the disease were very similar to Chikungunya. Since many cases of the disease had been reported in Maradhoo-Feydhoo, and a few cases in Maradhoo and Feydhoo, senior officials of the Hithadhoo Regional Hospital had discussed the problem and ways to control the spread of the disease with Feydhoo Health Centre officials on Sunday. The Island Chief of Maradhoo-Feydhoo Ali Nizar had also participated in the discussions. Nizar said that the disease was spreading fast enough to be of concern and measures to control the disease should be in place. As such they had decided to distribute information leaflets about Chikungunya and Dungue fever to create awareness about the diseases and begun to spray the island with insect repellents. The Community Health Worker at the Maradhoo-Feydhoo Health Post, Fariyaza Ramiz, said yesterday that so far there had been no significant change in the amount of patients being admitted at the Post due to the infection. Three people had already been admitted at the Post, she said. "The first person to become infected in the island was treated at the Feydhoo Health Centre,' she said. "However the number has increased since yesterday. At present we haven't noticed the amount of people coming down with the disease is decreasing.' The Maradhoo-Feydhoo Health Post has only three beds where admitted patients can stay in observation. The Feydhoo Health Centre has 12 beds and most of the patients who fall sick from the disease are being admitted there. Both places are currently full. Ali Musthafa said that so far 12 people had been reported as having contacted the viral fever and that at least one of the cases was suspected to be Chikungunya. The Hospital said that spraying insect-repellent through the island had commenced Monday afternoon but that they could only keep it up if the weather was good. "The weather is very bad these days,' Ali Musthafa said. "If it doesn't rain we will go ahead with the spraying.' The Hulhu-Meedhoo Health Centre said that in the past two months they had noticed that a viral disease had been spreading very fast through the island but that it was under control now. They were still going ahead with the preventative measures to control the disease, the Health Centre said.