CHIKUNGUNYA: A NEW ONE IN THE BOX
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Abstract
For the first time Ministry of National Health
Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) has
reported the presence of Chikungunya virus outbreak
in Pakistan to World Health Organisation (WHO); these
cases were confirmed from National Institute of Health
(NIH), Islamabad. Our health professionals need a detail
insight about this virus as it resembles dengue virus in
many means regarding its presentation.
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus belongs
to family Togaviridae and genus Alphavirus. The first
outbreak was reported in southern Tanzania in 1952
and it got its name from a word of Kimakonde language
meaning ‘to dry up or become contorted’, as it refers to
the ‘stooped’ look of patients suffering from arthralgia. It
is transmitted to humans by Aedes aegypti and Aedes
albopictus infected mosquitoes, these are responsible
for spread of dengue virus as well. There is no direct
human to human spread but after bite, a mosquito
can transmit virus from an infected person to healthy
individual. Chikungunya has been reported in over 60
countries of important continents, namely Asia, Africa,
Europe, North and South America. These mosquitoes
are very resilient and particularly well-adapted to different
atmospheres; breed in small amount of stagnant
water, whether in discarded containers or tyres, and
they have the ability to bite during day light, making use
of nets of little importance in prevention of this virus.
Because of this robust nature they spread from Tanzania
to across the globe by exploiting human activity as a
spreading source.
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