Health DG denies reports of new virus

Says diagnostic procedures not 100 per cent sensitive

KARACHI:

The provincial health department on Thursday allayed fears of a new viral outbreak and said that there was no mysterious virus spreading in the city, requesting media to refrain from publishing such news based on specualton.

A letter written by Sindh Health Services Director General said that there were reports that a particular viral fever was spreading in the city, however, though its symptoms were similar to dengue fever, its pathological tests came negative for dengue.

In other words, the virus was dengue, but the pathological reports said it was not.

The letter said the clinical features of the viral infection are in favour of dengue fever because when the illness is diagnosed on testing kits, some viral infection lead to false negative reports as the diagnostic procedure is not 100 per cent sensitive.

The health official further said that there was no need to be afraid of the reported virus published in some newspapers.

The letter available with The Express Tribune, confirmed that there was surge of the dengue cases [in the city] which were being reported from different public and private hospitals.

"While the mysterious cases are reported with same complain like high grade fever, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, retro-orbital pain with low platelets counts," it explained. "This presenting illness revealed that these mysterious reported cases that are highly suspected cases of dengue cases that are negative on diagnostic procedure - NS-1 antigen."

The health department has denied any mysterious virus spreading in the city or any other part of Sindh province.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, health department's spokesperson Atif Vighio said, "we have no 'unknown' virus as yet in the city."

"There is no mysterious kind of thing in science," he added, saying all the health officials were available to confirm the type of disease if someone wants to report.

The confirmed dengue cases reported in the province in October were 2,061, including 1,197 in the provincial capital only. The health department confirmed total six deaths in Sindh, including five the port city.

In November, total dengue cases were 914 in Sindh, including 161 in Karachi Central district, 152 in East district, 136 in Korangi district, 84 in South district, 45 in Malir district and 49 in West district.

"The highest number of dengue cases this year were report in October," Vighio said. "The situation is under control this month," he claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2021.