'No viral epidemic in Karachi’

Medical practitioners say it is premature to declare viral disease 'chikungunya'

KARACHI: Rubbishing the emerging reports of suspected chikungunya cases as an unnecessary hype, medical experts and practitioners have reiterated that it is premature to conclude if the disease actually is chikungunya.

A number of cases of high grade fever and joint pain have been reported in Malir district. According to Karachi health director Dr Waheed Panhwar, the disease has merely been diagnosed as chikungunya - a viral disease transmitted to humans via mosquito bites - on a clinincal basis and has not been pronounced officially by the health department.



"Since there was no credible evidence, the doctors here merely assumed that it was chikungunya because of its outbreak in neighbouring India a few years ago," said Dr Panhwar. According to him, the disease was first spread in Tanzania in 1952.

Terming the number of high grade fever and acute joint pain cases reported at two of Malir's hospitals 'strange', Dr Panhwar said that this needs to be investigated on different platforms for proper diagnosis.

"Some section of media has created fear calling routine viral infection chikungunya," he said, adding that not a single person has died and many people suffering from the disease have recuperated at their homes.

Dr Asif Shah, a member of a team of experts of Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program investigating the prevalence of chikungunya virus, also said that it is against medical ethics to diagnose any disease without laboratory evidence. According to him, no physician has any right to diagnose a disease without any proof. He added that it will take some time to establish the diagnosis.

Samples sent

Meanwhile, a few samples have been collected and sent to the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, by the health department whereas 72 different samples have been collected by the Dow University of Health Sciences for investigation through molecular biology. Researchers at the Aga Khan University Hospital's department of pathology and laboratory medicine, in a surveillance project for patients with fever to check chikungunya and other mosquito-borne infections, have sent multiple samples for verification to a specialised reference laboratory in the US.



At the hospitals

A total of 986 people visited the Saudabad government hospital and al-Mustafa Welfare Hospital with different complications on Tuesday. Of them, 46 were suffering from high grade fever, severe joint pain and other symptoms, including body rash, headache and vomiting. However, the total number of patients has decreased to 800 patients, with only 24 suffering from such symptoms, claimed health officials. The record of suspected viral infection patients has also been maintained at desks at the two hospitals in Malir.

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre executive director Dr Seemi Jamali termed the epidemic some kind of viral infection. "If it is chickungunya fever, it's not that [serious of a] concern since its nature is much milder like any other viral illness, which are not as fatal as dengue," she said. "However, we should wait for a few more days for the scientific conclusion for diagnosis."

30,000 suffering

On the other hand, media reports suggested that more than 30,000 people have suffered from the unconfirmed disease. Earlier, these cases were reported in Malir district but, according to various media reports, many cases of high grade fever have also emerged in Keamari, Korangi and Ibrahim Hyderi areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2016.