Pakistan dengue-like virus

[finalfantasy7]

Came across this below article, can poster please provide any updates:


https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/me...ry-dengue-like-virus/ar-AAQLVjI?ocid=msedgntp

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Doctors in Pakistan's biggest city are investigating a mystery viral fever which gives the same symptoms as dengue, but does not appear to show up on conventional tests.

Scientists in the city of around 20 million cautioned it was still too early to say if the virus was a new infection, different strain of dengue, or undetected cases.

Patients are turning up at hospitals with similar symptoms to the common mosquito-borne dengue fever, which kills dozens when it strikes Pakistan from July until November each year.

Dr Ghulam Sarwar, of Karachi's Saylani Blood Bank, said: “We have observed a number of cases during the last couple of weeks in which patients showed dengue-like symptoms, but when tested for the mosquito-borne disease they turned negative.

“In such cases, the platelets are quickly dropping down whereas high grade fever is noted and the recovery is very slow. Clinically, these cases are dengue but haematological findings suggest these are not dengue.”

None of the new patients have died, doctors said.

Dengue can cause fever, nausea, joint pains and a rash, and blood samples show falling levels of white cells and platelets. In the most severe cases, it can cause breathing problems, haemorrhaging and organ failure. Pakistan records thousands of cases each year and dozens die.

Dr Zeeshan Hussain, senior hematopathologist at the city's Civil Hospital, said the volume of cases was too high to suggest it was just a testing error.

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Doctors in Pakistan's biggest city are investigating a mystery viral fever which gives the same symptoms as dengue, but does not appear to show up on conventional tests.

Patients being treated for gengue fever during an outbreak in Peshawar, Pakistan - ARSHAD ARBAB/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock © ARSHAD ARBAB/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Patients being treated for gengue fever during an outbreak in Peshawar, Pakistan - ARSHAD ARBAB/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Scientists in the city of around 20 million cautioned it was still too early to say if the virus was a new infection, different strain of dengue, or undetected cases.


Patients are turning up at hospitals with similar symptoms to the common mosquito-borne dengue fever, which kills dozens when it strikes Pakistan from July until November each year.

Dr Ghulam Sarwar, of Karachi's Saylani Blood Bank, said: “We have observed a number of cases during the last couple of weeks in which patients showed dengue-like symptoms, but when tested for the mosquito-borne disease they turned negative.

“In such cases, the platelets are quickly dropping down whereas high grade fever is noted and the recovery is very slow. Clinically, these cases are dengue but haematological findings suggest these are not dengue.”

None of the new patients have died, doctors said.

Dengue can cause fever, nausea, joint pains and a rash, and blood samples show falling levels of white cells and platelets. In the most severe cases, it can cause breathing problems, haemorrhaging and organ failure. Pakistan records thousands of cases each year and dozens die.

Dengue-fever prevention methods in Hyderabad, Pakistan - NADEEM KHAWAR/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock© Provided by The Telegraph Dengue-fever prevention methods in Hyderabad, Pakistan - NADEEM KHAWAR/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Dr Zeeshan Hussain, senior hematopathologist at the city's Civil Hospital, said the volume of cases was too high to suggest it was just a testing error.

“The number is very significant and false negatives cannot be reported in such large numbers. We don’t have exact data, but the number of such cases is certainly very significant.”

“The cases of dengue have surged and, in such a situation, a fever with symptoms of dengue is being called a new virus. But it’s too early to say what exactly these new cases are,” he added.

Prof Saeed Khan, head of molecular pathology at the Dow University of Health Sciences, said the infection could be a type of dengue, or something from the same family of viruses. He said the effectiveness of dengue tests also varied according to when they were administered.

He said: “The confirmation will take time as the symptoms are similar to those of dengue. We are working on it and it will take time before anything can be said.”

In the 1970s, the dengue virus was endemic in only nine countries. Yet severe dengue has now taken hold in more than 100 countries, with roughly half of the world’s population at risk.

It is estimated to affect around 100 million people every year. Outbreaks are spreading thanks to a “perfect storm” of climate change, rapid urbanisation and intercontinental travel, epidemiologists have said.

 

[Itachi]

At this point of time, I believe Pakistan should be in consultation with other tropical countries battling similar diseases such as India and the African countries to check for new strains/undiscovered virus.

There may happen that one or the other country may facing the same and have different standard procedure in medication which may be more effective.

 

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Dengue fever cases in Karachi double in just two days

KARACHI: Data released by the Sindh health department showed a spike in dengue fever cases as their numbers doubled in just two days, from 201 cases on Wednesday to 403 cases on Friday.

Majority of these cases were reported at hospitals located in district East (116) followed by healthcare facilities in Korangi (107), Central (72), South (61), Malir (26), West (12) and Keamari (nine).

A total of 2,145 cases of dengue fever cases were reported in Karachi this month; East (842) followed by healthcare facilities in (431), South (377), Korangi (286), Malir (93), Keamari (64) and West (52).

In the rest of Sindh, 16 cases were reported in Hyderabad division, one in Larkana division, two in Sukkur division and four in Shaheed Benazirabad division.

A health department official explained that most dengue patients had mild illness and they either reported at private clinics or outpatient departments of hospitals.

“But, hospitals do not maintain proper records of their OPD patients while family physicians as well as city’s laboratories under the currently adopted protocol are not required to share their data. Hence, the official figures don’t reflect the ground reality as only severe dengue cases require admission,” the official said.

Experts believe the current number of dengue fever cases might be five times higher than what is being reported by the health department.

Meanwhile, the health department reported over 3,000 cases of malaria on Friday.

Most of them were recorded in Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Jamshoro, Tando Muhammad Khan, Dadu, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Qamber-Shahdadkot, Umerkot, Tharparkar and Mirpurkhas.

DAWN

 

[daytrader]

Govt claims no new strain as dengue outbreak grips country
Leading infectious diseases experts said there were four serotypes of dengue virus, adding that ‘a mix of dengue serotypes’ could be affecting people in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the emergence of any new variant of dengue virus, the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, on Saturday termed it a hoax while other leading infectious diseases experts said there were four serotypes of dengue virus, adding that ‘a mix of dengue serotypes’ could be affecting people in Pakistan.

“No new variant of dengue virus has been reported, it is just a hoax,” an official of the NIH Islamabad reacted to The News, when his attention was drawn towards reports that said some new variants or strains were spreading and causing severe illness to the people.

Some experts as well as Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Reman linked the recent dengue outbreak to climate change, saying unprecedented rains and consequent floods had resulted 100 percent increase in dengue cases, especially in Karachi and other cities of Sindh, where it rained continuously for over two and a half months.

Another expert, Prof Dr Saeed Khan of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Karachi, said there were only four serotypes of dengue virus last year. “Actually, when a man is infected with one serotype, he develops antibodies for that particular type. But when the same person is infected with another serotype, he or she gets severely sick because the existing antibodies of previous serotypes help the newly-entered virus to infect the person,” he added.

Prof Dr Iqbal Chaudhry from HEJ Research Institute, University of Karachi, and Dr Faisal Mehmood from the Aga Khan University also denied reports of any new variant of dengue virus. Dr Faisal said the dengue cases were constantly on the rise in Karachi, adding that the peak of dengue season had yet to come as historically cases touch peak in the month of October.

Prof Ishtiaq Ahmed, another researcher associated with HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, said viruses mutate with the passage of time and dengue is also a highly mutating virus, lags behind only HIV and influenza in this race. “However, it is early to conclude that a typical mutation is leading to severe infections,” he added.

Commenting over severe disease being caused by the dengue virus this year in Karachi and other parts of Sindh, he said, “I think our relatively larger population has probably infected by one serotype and now the people, who are being infected by second serotype are showing severe symptoms. With increase in infection and re-infection rate, we will see more cases of severe dengue and God forbid severe outcome.”

On the other hand, hundreds of new dengue cases were reported from Sindh, Punjab, Islamabad as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, compelling authorities to take preventive measures to control the spread of the vector-borne disease. In Sindh around 388 new dengue cases were reported in last 24 hours, including 324 cases from Karachi alone, where two people died due to the complications of dengue fever, officials said, adding that they have started converting the Covid-19 high dependency units at major hospitals into the dengue treatment centres.

Interestingly, only 188 dengue cases were reported in Punjab during the past 24 hours, including 80 from Rawalpindi, 62 from Lahore and remaining from other cities, indicating the disease surveillance system was allegedly not functioning properly in the province, where hundreds of people were daily approaching healthcare facilities for the treatment of dengue fever.

The officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed that 307 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours, including 153 from Peshawar followed by Mardan, where 73 new cases were reported, adding that so far 5 people have lost their lives due to dengue fever in KPK province.

Around 179 cases of dengue fever were reported from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), while over 150 cases of dengue fever have been reported from different districts of Balochistan, the officials said.

The News PK

 

[daytrader]

KARACHI REPORTS ANOTHER 247 DENGUE CASES IN PAST 24 HOURS

KARACHI: There was no let-up in the number of dengue cases as Karachi reported another 247 infections of mosquito-borne disease during the past 24 hours, ARY News reported on Monday.

According to Sindh Health Department, as many as 247 cases of dengue fever were reported in the metropolis in the past 24 hours, taking the monthly tally to 2,193.

Among these cases, 45 belong to District East, 48 in Central, 41 in Korangi, 45 in South, five in West, 17 in Malir and eight in Kemari District. So far, 10,673 cases of dengue fever have been reported in Karachi this year, the health department revealed.

Meanwhile, 43 patients lost their lives due to mosquito-borne disease in 2022. Out of the total number of deaths, 39 belong to Karachi only.

On September 30, the local administration launched an Islamabad-like anti-dengue campaign as the cases of dengue virus were spreading rapidly across Karachi.

According to details, medical teams from Islamabad and Lahore started giving training to doctors and other staff of the provincial health department. The anti-dengue campaign was first launched in District East – the most affected by the virus.

District Health Officer (DHO) East Dr Naeem Sikandar has informed that anti-dengue spraying was conducted in the houses of patients and 20 surrounding residential facilities to eliminate the virus.

Dr Naeem Sikandar further said that the administration was mapping the areas from where the cases are being reported.

“So far, over 1800 cases of dengue have been reported in the district east,” the DHO said, adding that almost ten patients have succumbed to the virus.

ARY News

 

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DENGUE: PUNJAB REPORTS 359 NEW CASES, ONE MORE REPORTED DEAD

The dengue epidemic continues its onslaught in the country as Punjab reported 359 new cases, and one more person was reported dead in the last 24 hours, ARY News reported.

According to the Secretary of Health Punjab, 132 news dengue cases were reported from Rawalpindi, 102 from Lahore and 54 from Gujranwala.

Moreover, one person lost their life to a mosquito-borne infection in Rawalpindi in the last 24 hours.

While Karachi reported 277 more cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the past 24 hours.

According to Sindh Health Department, as many as 277 cases of dengue fever were reported in the metropolis in the past 24 hours, taking the monthly tally to over 2000.

Among these cases, 54 were reported in District East, 76 in Central, 85 in Korangi, 26 in South, 13 in West, 26 in Malir and eight in Kemari District.

On Monday, the health ministry told that dengue virus cases spreading to epidemic proportions in Pakistan with over 41,000 cases of the disease in Pakistan this year.

According to sources, the Ministry of National Health in a detailed report said that 41,746 mosquito-borne diseases have been reported this year.

In the last four days, 4194 dengue virus cases and six deaths have been reported across the country.

This year, the dengue virus has claimed 84 deaths, most of them reported from flood-hit Sindh province. This year 12,947 dengue cases have been reported in Sindh with 43 deaths, according to sources.

ARY