Chikungunya outbreak worsens in Thar as 2000 affected in two weeks
The viral disease has targeted 30 villages of Thar including the Chachro district.
THARPARKAR (Dunya News) – Chikungunya virus while getting out of control in Thar has affected at least 2000 people in a span of two weeks.
The viral disease has targeted 30 villages of Thar including the Chachro district. The higher number of patients has led to a shortage of facilities in the hospital.
The patients are forced to lay down on the floor and tables due to lack of beds. No availability of clean water is present and no arrangements have been made regarding precautionary measures for the patients.
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Instead of isolating such patients, they are being kept with people suffering from other diseases. Chikungunya patients are undergoing high fever and severe pain of body joints.
Health department has failed to control the disease with the number of patients rising with every passing day.
WHAT IS CHIKUNGUNYA
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.
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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.
