By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-11-01 16:15:10 | Updated at 2024-11-01 18:18:35
2 hours ago
Climate change is to blame for the spread of a debilitating, mosquito-borne virus that is piling pressure on hospitals in Pakistan’s largest city, local officials have said.
Karachi sweltered through a record-breaking heatwave in October, with a minimum average temperature of 30.9 degrees – the hottest ever recorded in the city in that month.
The high temperatures, combined with rainfall, have created more favourable breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes that carry Chikungunya, as well as Dengue fever and Zika, Nida Khuhro, Parliamentary Secretary for Health of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) told the provincial parliament.
Some 181 people have now tested positive for Chikungunya in Pakistan’s south-eastern province of Sindh since the outbreak began in May.
But the true number of infections is believed to be far higher, and the health authorities are in the process of screening suspected cases of the virus, which, along with debilitating joint pain, also causes fever and nausea.
It is these symptoms that give Chikungunya its name, which means “to become contorted” in the Kimakonde language from Tanzania, where the virus was first discovered in 1952.
“Due to climate change, vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and Chikungunya have increased, putting pressure on the healthcare system,” Ms Khuhro said.
Though the fatality rate is low – thought to be around one in 1,000 cases – the duration of the symptoms can vary from a few days to weeks, months or even years.
In the most severe cases, complications can include neurological issues like paralysis or coma, as well as heart and eye problems that necessitate prolonged hospital treatment and intensive care.
Province ‘facing a dire situation’
Cases have been rising steadily in Karachi, Pakistan’s most populous city, since May.
The outbreak is straining the city’s hospitals, which already have to care for a population of over 20 million people.
Government hospitals in the city are dealing with hundreds of new suspected cases every day, according to local media reports.
The influx of suspected Chikungunya cases has been so intense that the emergency departments of every government hospital in the city were left unable to accommodate any new patients, according to a survey conducted by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) earlier this month.
“It is crucial to understand that Sindh is currently facing a dire situation due to an increase in epidemic diseases,” Jawed Bilwani, the KCCI President, said in a letter to Syed Murad Ali Shah, the Chief Minister of Sindh.
A report from the Aga Khan University Hospital said severe cases of Chikungunya had been reported in Karachi, particularly among the elderly as well as people suffering from diabetes.
Judging the true scale of the outbreak is a challenge because PCR tests are in short supply and are only available at a few private hospitals. They also cost about 8,000 rupees (£22), putting them out of the reach of the vast majority of people.
“A technical team of entomologists is constantly monitoring vector-borne diseases and conducting surveillance across Sindh during both peak and off-seasons for timely detection and control,” Ms Khuhro said.
She added that the provincial government is planning an awareness campaign and was taking preventive measures, including fumigation campaigns to eliminate mosquitoes.
Along with Chikungunya, Pakistan has also been grappling with a major outbreak of Dengue fever, with the rugged province of Balochistan worst-affected and thousands of new cases being reported every week.
While Chikungunya cannot spread between people, if a mosquito bites a person carrying the virus, it can then be passed on to others. It is also carried by wild animals, such as monkeys, that serve as a reservoir for the virus.
One vaccine has been approved for use in the United States, Canada and Europe, and several others are in development, none are available in Pakistan.
Experts have frequently warned that climate change is extending both the geographic range and seasonal window of outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, Zika and Chikingunya.
Since it was first detected in Tanzania, there have been frequent outbreaks of Chikungunya across Asia and Africa.
But Pakistan only reported its first human case in 2011, in the city of Lahore.
In 2016, the country suffered a major outbreak that began in Karachi.
Health authorities estimated that some 30,000 people required treatment for Chikungunya during the 2016 outbreak, which was also blamed on climate and poor sanitation.
Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security
