WHO team arrives in Karachi to investigate the breakout of chikungunya

A World Health Organization [WHO] team has arrived in Karachi to collaborate with the Sindh health department to investigate and devise a detailed plan to control the outbreak of chikungunya .

The nine-member team is due to hold a meeting on Tuesday with stakeholders and later visit disease-stricken areas in Karachi before chalking out a plan later in the week.

The intervention methods to be put in place are likely to be effective in controlling the outbreak with relatively lower outbreak during the next transmission season compared to earlier, said Karachi Health Director Dr Muhammad Taufiq.

He added that the technical help of experts belonging to international organisations was sought since the prevalence of the disease has exceeded a few months. According to Dr Taufiq, the WHO team will visit Saudabad, Malir, Orangi, Bin Qasim Town, the coastal belt of Karachi and other areas if necessary.

The visiting team will conduct epidemiological investigations of the outbreak, both at health facilities and a community level. A team of entomologists from the WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern and Mediterranean, provincial dengue control programme and health department will conduct a detailed entomological survey in the affected towns confirming the distribution and abundance of aedes aegypti, a yellow fever mosquito, in all towns investigated, remarked WHO’s Head of Office, Sindh Dr Sara Salman.

In December, 2016, an outbreak of unknown fever causing joint pains was reported in Karachi, which was later confirmed to be chikungunya. The disease is spread through the bite of infected aedes aegypti mosquitos. From December 19, 2016 to April 4 this year, a total 1,419 suspected cases of chikungunya have been registered using the following WHO recommended case definition:

“A person with acute onset of fever of 102° Fahrenheit and severe arthralgia or arthritis not explained by other medical conditions and who resides or has visited epidemic or endemic areas within two weeks before the onset of symptoms,” explained Dr Salman.