KARACHI: Over 100 patients were brought to the hospital on Tuesday who had contracted an unknown disease whose symptoms include joint pain and high fever.

MS Saudabad Hospital Dr Rehana has established a help desk for patients.

As many as 30,000 patients have been affected by an unknown disease in the city during the last 30 days.

Blood samples of patients coming to the hospital are being collected and sent to the Aga Khan University Hospital and National Institute of Health Islamabad, officials said.

They added that the number of patients coming to the hospital have reduced.

Authorities have also begun fumigation to control mosquitoes and collecting their larvae.

No case of Chikungunya virus in Pakistan: WHO

A statement issued by the World Health Orgainsation (WHO) said no case of Chikungunya virus has been confirmed in Pakistan till date. Any information circulating with regard to confirmation of any case is incorrect and misleading.

The statement has been issued in view of unconfirmed reports about the presence of Chikungunya virus in Karachi, Sindh, especially in the areas of Malir. “The WHO, the Ministry of Health, and the Sindh Department of Health are working closely in the wake of these unconfirmed reports, and are carrying out epidemiological investigations,” the statement said.</s>KARACHI (Dunya News) – Sindh government on Wednesday has finally identified that aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for spreading Chikungunya virus in Karachi.



The provincial government has said that the disease would be declared epidemic after confirmation from World Health Organization (WHO).



Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can also cause dengue fever and Zika fever etc.



On the other hand, another 700 people were admitted to Saudabad Hospital in 24 hours over complaints with Chikungunya virus in Karachi’s Malir.



Sources told that the disease has been spread to adjoining areas of Malir including Korangi, Madina Colony, Liaquat Market and Khokhrapar.



Doctors are only relying on paracetamol tablets as a cure to the disease that paralyses hands and feet with severe fever and pain in joints.

The medical staff said that the report of the affectees is likely to be received on Thursday while the patients stated that they need to buy medicines and syringes from medical stores due to inadequate facilities in the hospital.</s>KARACHI – The Sindh government has declared a health emergency in Karachi’s Malir area, following the outbreak of mysterious disease that has caught thousands of patients in less than one month. “Officially, the disease hasn’t been diagnosed as yet but

KARACHI – The Sindh government has declared a health emergency in Karachi’s Malir area, following the outbreak of mysterious disease that has caught thousands of patients in less than one month.

“Officially, the disease hasn’t been diagnosed as yet but the experts believe it could be Chikungunya virus, considering the symptoms,” Sindh Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro said during a visit to Saudabad Hospital on Monday. The identification of virus would take time; however, blood samples have been dispatched to the laboratory, the minister added.

Dr. Mandhro further informed the media that health officers have also collected the samples of water in the residential colony near Sindh Government Hospital.

While the provincial minister issued directives to appoint four to five doctors from other towns in Malir’s government hospitals, patients complained of inadequate facilities in the Saudabad hospital.

Chikungunya, a mysterious disease is spreading like an endemic among the residents of Karachi and adjoining areas.

According to WHO, Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes.

It is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952. It is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The name “chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted”, and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (arthralgia).

The disease occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In recent decades mosquito vectors of chikungunya have spread to Europe and the Americas. In 2007, disease transmission was reported for the first time in a localized outbreak in north-eastern Italy. Outbreaks have since been recorded in France and Croatia.

Characterised by paralysis in the joints in the hands and feet, this disease has currently affected as many as 70 doctors and paramedical staff, resulting in scores of patients being rushed to hospitals, each day. The disease seems to the most prevalent in Karachi’s Malir area is being widely affected by it.

Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. Joint pain is often debilitating and can vary in duration. The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common.

Doctors say the disease spreads with mosquito bite so all measures should be taken to keep safe from mosquitoes.

Dengue prevention and control programme manager in Tharparkar, Dr Masood Solangi confirmed that the disease was rarely fatal. “If cases were found positive, they will be the first cases of Chikungunya in the country,” he said.

How to keep safe?

Chikungunya has been identified in over 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The virus is transmitted from human to human by the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Most commonly, the mosquitoes involved are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, two species which can also transmit other mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue.

These mosquitoes can be found biting throughout daylight hours, though there may be peaks of activity in the early morning and late afternoon. Both species are found biting outdoors, but Ae. aegypti will also readily feed indoors.

After the bite of an infected mosquito, onset of illness occurs usually between 4 and 8 days but can range from 2 to 12 days.

Several methods can be used for diagnosis. Serological tests, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), may confirm the presence of IgM and IgG anti-chikungunya antibodies. IgM antibody levels are highest 3 to 5 weeks after the onset of illness and persist for about 2 months. Samples collected during the first week after the onset of symptoms should be tested by both serological and virological methods (RT-PCR).

The virus may be isolated from the blood during the first few days of infection. Various reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) methods are available but are of variable sensitivity.

Some are suited to clinical diagnosis. RT–PCR products from clinical samples may also be used for genotyping of the virus, allowing comparisons with virus samples from various geographical sources.

There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya. Treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms, including the joint pain using anti-pyretics, optimal analgesics and fluids. There is no commercial chikungunya vaccine.

The proximity of mosquito vector breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya as well as for other diseases that these species transmit. Prevention and control relies heavily on reducing the number of natural and artificial water-filled container habitats that support breeding of the mosquitoes.

This requires mobilization of affected communities. During outbreaks, insecticides may be sprayed to kill flying mosquitoes, applied to surfaces in and around containers where the mosquitoes land, and used to treat water in containers to kill the immature larvae.

For protection during outbreaks of chikungunya, clothing which minimizes skin exposure to the day-biting vectors is advised. Repellents can be applied to exposed skin or to clothing in strict accordance with product label instructions.

Repellents should contain DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), IR3535 (3-[N-acetyl-N-butyl]-aminopropionic acid ethyl ester) or icaridin (1-piperidinecarboxylic acid, 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-methylpropylester).

For those who sleep during the daytime, particularly young children, or sick or older people, insecticide-treated mosquito nets afford good protection. Mosquito coils or other insecticide vaporizers may also reduce indoor biting.

Basic precautions should be taken by people travelling to risk areas and these include use of repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants and ensuring rooms are fitted with screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering.</s>Another 700 people were admitted to Saudabad Hospital in 24 hours over complaints with Chikungunya virus in Karachi’s Malir. According to details, Chikungunya virus has spread to adjoining areas of Malir including Korangi, Madina Colony, Liaquat Market and Khokhrapar.

 Doctors are only relying on paracetamol tablets as a cure to the disease that paralyses hands and feet with severe fever and pain in joints.

 The medical staff said that the report of the affectees is likely to be received on Thursday while the patients stated that they need to buy medicines and syringes from medical stores due to inadequate facilities in the hospital.

 Earlier, workers of malaria control program had also carried out anti-mosquito spray in the hospital that created difficulty in breathing for the victims.

 Meanwhile, Sindh government on Wednesday has finally identified that aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for spreading Chikungunya virus in Karachi.

 The provincial government has said that the disease would be declared epidemic after confirmation from World Health Organization (WHO).

 Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can also cause dengue fever and Zika fever etc.

 On the other hand, another 700 people were admitted to Saudabad Hospital in 24 hours over complaints with Chikungunya virus in Karachi’s Malir.

 Sources told that the disease has been spread to adjoining areas of Malir including Korangi, Madina Colony, Liaquat Market and Khokhrapar.

 Doctors are only relying on paracetamol tablets as a cure to the disease that paralyses hands and feet with severe fever and pain in joints.

 The medical staff said that the report of the affectees is likely to be received on Thursday while the patients stated that they need to buy medicines and syringes from medical stores due to inadequate facilities in the hospital.</s>The number of patients with mysterious viral fever has dropped drastically in the Malir area, health officials claimed on Wednesday.

They said that only 46 patients with high-grade fever were brought to three public and private hospitals in the area, while Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) said they had sent samples of patients with suspected Chikungunya to a specialised reference lab in the United States of America.

Hundreds of patients with high-grade fever and pain in joints have been brought to different public and private hospitals in Malir over the past few days, and doctors after initial medical examinations say the symptoms of the disease show that they have been infected by the Chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne diseases spread by the same mosquitoes which cause the dengue viral fever.

Interestingly, no lab in the Sindh province has the kits or the facility to detect the Chikungunya virus and hundreds of patients are being given symptomatic treatment while experts from different public and private health facilities have collected blood samples to identify the disease.

Karachi Health Director Dr Abdul Waheed Panhwar said on Wednesday that fear among people in Malir and adjoining areas was fading away, as only 46 patients with high-fever and joints pain reported at the Sindh Government Hospital, Saudabad Malir, Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust and 25-bed hospital Malir Shed.

He said a team of experts from Dow Diagnostic Laboratory also visited the area and collected blood samples of the patients, and a team of the Sindh health department also visited various private hospitals, where dozens of patients with viral disease were still undergoing treatment.

Dr Panhwar maintained that a separate counter for patients had been established at the Sindh Government Hospital Saudabad. He added that samples of patients were being sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad for confirmation.

Researchers at the Aga Khan University’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine are working on a surveillance project for patients to check Chikungunya and other mosquito-borne infections, an AKUH statement said.

“Since all these viruses have similar structure, they have sent samples for verification from a specialised reference laboratory in the USA,” the statement said, adding that diagnosis of the Chikungunya virus at the Aga Khan University Hospital would be considered based on the results of the project.

Meanwhile, the office of the WHO representative in Pakistan issued a “Chikungunya Health Advisory”, saying the viral disease was spread by the same mosquitoes which caused dengue viral fever, but it was a non-fatal or rarely-fatal disease, whose high-risk groups were newborns, older adults and persons with chronic medical conditions.

WHO advised people to take precautions which were adopted in case of dengue fever, carry out fumigation to eradicate mosquitoes, and wear protective clothing.

The international health body said there was no specific anti-viral drug available for the treatment of Chikungunya, and asked patients to avoid taking pain relievers like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen sodium.

Number of mysterious viral disease patients starts falling in Malir was posted in Karachi of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on December 22, 2016 and was last updated on December 22, 2016. This news story is related to Print/173529-Number-of-mysterious-viral-disease-patients-starts-falling-in-Malir/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Number of mysterious viral disease patients starts falling in Malir" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/173529-Number-of-mysterious-viral-disease-patients-starts-falling-in-Malir.</s>KARACHI: Three cases of the Chikungunya virus have been confirmed in the provincial capital of Sindh. 11-year-old Umer, 9-year-old Zohaib and 45-year-old Ikhlaque were confirmed by the National Institute of Health in Islamabad as the first victims of the virus.

Initially the Health Department had taken ten blood samples of five patients.

Health expert urged people to protect themselves from mosquito, clean their homes and surrounding areas.

As many as 30,000 patients are believed to be affected by an unknown disease, symptoms of which bore similarities to Chikungunya.

The following information on Chikungunya has been taken from the WHO website.
• Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.
• Joint pain is often debilitating and can vary in duration.
• The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common.
• There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.
• The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya.
• The disease occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In recent decades mosquito vectors of chikungunya have spread to Europe and the Americas. In 2007, disease transmission was reported for the first time in a localized outbreak in north-eastern Italy. Outbreaks have since been recorded in France and Croatia.



Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952. It is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The name “chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted”, and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (arthralgia).

Chikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain. Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually lasts for a few days or may be prolonged to weeks. Hence the virus can cause acute, subacute or chronic disease.

Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years. Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints. Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death. Often symptoms in infected individuals are mild and the infection may go unrecognized, or be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue occurs.

Chikungunya has been identified in over 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

The virus is transmitted from human to human by the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Most commonly, the mosquitoes involved are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, two species which can also transmit other mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue. These mosquitoes can be found biting throughout daylight hours, though there may be peaks of activity in the early morning and late afternoon. Both species are found biting outdoors, but Ae. aegypti will also readily feed indoors.

After the bite of an infected mosquito, onset of illness occurs usually between 4 and 8 days but can range from 2 to 12 days.

Several methods can be used for diagnosis. Serological tests, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), may confirm the presence of IgM and IgG anti-chikungunya antibodies. IgM antibody levels are highest 3 to 5 weeks after the onset of illness and persist for about 2 months. Samples collected during the first week after the onset of symptoms should be tested by both serological and virological methods (RT-PCR).

The virus may be isolated from the blood during the first few days of infection. Various reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) methods are available but are of variable sensitivity. Some are suited to clinical diagnosis. RT–PCR products from clinical samples may also be used for genotyping of the virus, allowing comparisons with virus samples from various geographical sources.

There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya. Treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms, including the joint pain using anti-pyretics, optimal analgesics and fluids. There is no commercial chikungunya vaccine.

The proximity of mosquito vector breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya as well as for other diseases that these species transmit. Prevention and control relies heavily on reducing the number of natural and artificial water-filled container habitats that support breeding of the mosquitoes. This requires mobilization of affected communities. During outbreaks, insecticides may be sprayed to kill flying mosquitoes, applied to surfaces in and around containers where the mosquitoes land, and used to treat water in containers to kill the immature larvae.

For protection during outbreaks of chikungunya, clothing which minimizes skin exposure to the day-biting vectors is advised. Repellents can be applied to exposed skin or to clothing in strict accordance with product label instructions. Repellents should contain DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), IR3535 (3-[N-acetyl-N-butyl]-aminopropionic acid ethyl ester) or icaridin (1-piperidinecarboxylic acid, 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-methylpropylester). For those who sleep during the daytime, particularly young children, or sick or older people, insecticide-treated mosquito nets afford good protection. Mosquito coils or other insecticide vaporizers may also reduce indoor biting.

Basic precautions should be taken by people travelling to risk areas and these include use of repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants and ensuring rooms are fitted with screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering.</s>Karachi: Pakistan’s Sindh province will amend a recently passed Bill that criminalises forced conversions in the Muslim-majority country.

The development comes weeks after two hardline Islamic parties vehemently opposed the Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill (2015).

Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, said that while the Bill had been sent to the governor for his assent, it would be reviewed and amended by the Sindh assembly — whether the governor gave his assent or not. Khuhro said forcible conversions and marriages of minors were contrary to Sharia and the country’s constitution.

Khuhro, who is also the Sindh chapter president of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said religious teachings expressly made it clear that religion could not be changed forcibly, adding that no Muslim could ever think of promulgating such a law, Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday.

He explained that the marriage of a minor — a person under the age of 18 — was against both the constitution and religion and said this was why the Sindh Assembly had come up with the Bill as it was in the spirit of the constitution and religion.

He also said the Sindh Assembly had passed a law criminalising the forcible conversion of minors — much in the same way the constitution criminalises marriages involving minors.

The Sindh Assembly last month adopted the Bill as part of a push to crack down on forced religious conversions and recommended a five-year jail term for perpetrators. The Bill also recommended that facilitators of forced religious conversions be handed a three-year sentence.

The Bill makes it a punishable offence to forcibly convert a minor. Adults will be given 21 days to consider their decision to convert.

A Hindu lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar and civil society members last month criticised two religious political parties for opposing the Bill.

The Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema Islam-F claimed the Bill was part of a conspiracy to make Pakistan a liberal and secular country.

Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed expressed his opposition to the Bill on December 5 and threatened to launch a movement against the Bill.

“We will take other political and religious organisations on board in our movement against this anti-Islam law. We will not remain silent on this controversial law and [we will] launch a countrywide movement to force the Sindh government to withdraw this anti-Islam law,” Saeed said then.

Cases of forced conversions have regularly been reported across Sindh in areas that included Jacobabad, Tharparkar, Mithi, Umerkot, Kashmore, Kandhkot, Ghotki, Sukkur and Larkana. According to the South Asia Partnership-Pakistan (SAP-PK), at least 1,000 girls — mostly Hindus — are forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan every year.
Sindh Government officials declare a health emergency in Malir, Karachi, as thousands of patients have been affected by the mysterious Chikungunya virus. The government states the aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for spreading the Chikungunya virus in Pakistan's largest city.