HYDERABAD: A special team of doctors rushed to Tharparkar on Monday amid reports of an outbreak of chikungunya in the arid region although Sindh health authorities sought to downplay the threat from the viral disease.

A total of 78 positive cases of chikungunya had been reported in Tharparkar so far since January to August.

Director of malaria control programme Dr Nahid Jamali and dengue control programme manager Dr Rasheed Shaikh, who were part of the team, said they had arrived in Thar to assess the situation.

“There is no outbreak of chikungunya but yes there are 516 suspected cases of the viral disease reported in Tharparkar district since January to Aug 6,” said Dr Shaikh.

He said that out of the 516 cases, 78 were confirmed as positive cases of chikungunya following their laboratory tests carried out at Islamabad-based National Institute of Health (NIH).

Sources said that 42 and 62 suspected cases were reported in July and August this year respectively, and of them 12 were tested as positive for chikungunya. Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. What worries provincial health authorities is the fact that there is confirmed presence of larvae in water inside Thar villages; the region has been receiving moderate to heavy rainfall over the past month.

Rainfall is considered a blessing for the rain-dependent Tharparkar district which has turned green after years of dry spell. Villagers stored water in their tanks for drinking purposes and for their livestock.

Considering the presence of larvae in stagnant water, health authorities feel that it is essential to exterminate larvae growth but it could not be done right now as livestock is their main source of livelihood and wasting rainwater could jeopardise their economic assets.

The first case of chikungunya in Tharparkar was confirmed in a patient who was a resident of Chhachhro but was working in a factory in Saudabad, Karachi, according to a health officer. His travelling history showed he was infected in Karachi but the case was reported in Tharparkar district on April 4.

Dr Jamali told Dawn that since the community was storing water in their tanks for humans as well as for animals, it seemed difficult to start larvicidal (extermination of larvae) activity.

“The community needs health education in view of the fact that they are themselves contributing to breeding this vector due to their socio-economic compulsions,” she said.

“For the community this water is to be used until next year’s rainfall. There is flare-up in cases between July and August alone, otherwise, the situation remained normal before that period,” she added.

Therefore, she said, the community was advised how to cover the water meant for human consumption so that infection could be avoided that could otherwise cause transmission of this illness.

Health authorities believed that while vector of dengue could lead to death, chikungunya caused severe joint pain. Unlike dengue, it was in no way fatal but it needed to be controlled.

According to Dr Shaikh, 3,400 suspected chikungunya cases have been reported from across Sindh so far. The affected areas include the provincial capital.

Tharparkar’s health facilities are mostly managed by People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative and general practitioners also serve in large numbers.

The area’s doctors in government facilities are treating every high-grade fever as chikungunya which has caused panic in the area.

To a question, Dr Shaikh said that the blood samples were being preserved at government facilities and its cold chain was being maintained till it reached NIH Islamabad.

He denied that the samples could be contaminated during transportation from an area like Thar to Islamabad and said that evaluation of cases continued in a normal manner and cases were being reported through normal channel of focal persons for chikungunya.

Our Mithi Correspondent adds: Sindh Minister for Health Dr Sikandar Ali Mandhro was scheduled to arrive in Thar today (Tuesday) amid reports of chikungunya outbreak.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2017