Chandigarh’s chikungunya count reaches 74, highest in six years

The Chandigarh health department has till Sunday registered 74 cases of chikungunya in 2022, which is the city’s highest count in the past six years. No fatality, however, has been attributed to the vector-borne disease as of now, the department claimed.

As per the data, only one case of chikungunya was reported in the city in 2015, while the tally had suddenly spiked to 272 in 2016. Next year, 54 cases were detected and since then, the count has been on a decline. Only four cases of the viral infection were recorded in 2018, whereas the tally remained zero in 2019 and 2020. Last year, seven people had tested positive for chikungunya.

Situation under control

Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh, said, “In 2020 and 2021, the cases were low because the testing was not adequate due to Covid. This year, the figure is comparatively high, but the situation is under control. Not many people suffering from dengue need to be admitted to hospitals as the infection is not severe. Chikungunya, however, does not require hospitalisation in the majority of the cases.”

“Every year, areas mostly close to Panchkula and Mohali are affected more by mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue, malaria and chikungunya. But regular fogging, challans and checking of larvae are being ensured by us to plug the infection spread,” she added.

Health experts said with a fall in temperature, the mosquito-borne diseases will also start ebbing.

Cases might be more: PGIMER

The data available with the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) revealed that the chikungunya case count in Chandigarh can be more.

The institute tested 1,090 people for the viral infection between October 1 and November 9, of whom at least 350 were found infected.

As per PGIMER, around 190 patients had addresses in Chandigarh as well as the surrounding villages of the UT.

Chikungunya virus is primarily transmitted to a person through the bite of an infected mosquito. Humans are the primary host of the virus during epidemic periods. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person who already has the virus. Symptoms usually begin three to seven days after an infected mosquito bites.

The most common symptoms are fever and joint pains. Other signs include headache, muscle pain, swelling in joints, or rash. Though chikungunya is less fatal than dengue, its infection period is much longer. Chikungunya does not cause high morbidity, but there could be complications if a patient has comorbidities. Most patients feel better within a week. However, joint pain can be severe and may persist up to months.

There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya. The clinical management primarily aims to relieve the symptoms, including joint pain.