• Nida Khuhro tells PA 181 of 831 people tested positive for chikungunya in province
• Speaker calls for action against top management of power utilities if they don’t attend special committee meetings
KARACHI: Amid an alarming rise in chikungunya cases in the metropolis, the Sindh Assembly was on 30th October informed that recent rainfall and climate change had led to an increase in vector-borne diseases (VBDs) across the province.
In her call-attention notice, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan lawmaker Sikandar Khatoon said that the cases of chikungunya had been rising in the province and its test was very expensive. She asked about the measures being taken by the provincial government to control the rapid spread of the disease.
Replying to this, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Nida Khuhro of the Pakistan Peoples Party conceded that the rainfall and climate change had resulted into favourable breeding conditions for mosquitoes which led to increase in vector-borne diseases.
She said that the provincial government was taking preventive measures, including frequent fumigation campaigns to eliminate mosquitoes. She said that the government was planning to launch awareness campaigns as well.
She said that the first case of chikungunya was detected in Tanzania in 1952, while the first case in the province was reported in 2016.
Ms Khuhro said that chikungunya was not a contagious disease and spread only due to the bite of an infected mosquito.
She said the symptoms of the disease usually included high fever, severe joint and muscle pain, headache and swelling, adding that the pain and fever were managed through analgesics.
She said as many as 554 healthcare providers had been trained for laboratory testing and case management leading to improved clinical care.
She said that 831 people were screened at the government facilities in the province during the current year and 181 of them were found positive.
She said that all reported cases of chikungunya had been registered with the health department and successfully treated.
However, it is widely believed that the actual number of cases is much higher compared to the official figures as many people could not opt for the costly test.
Ms Khuhro said that the health department had maintained adequate medicine stocks across the province to ensure rapid treatment availability.
When she claimed that no death due to chikungunya had so far been reported in the province, former speaker Agha Siraj Durrani said that it was a very serious disease and a youth in his constituency had died two days ago.
Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2024