With two more chikungunya deaths being confirmed by the Hindu Rao Hospital late last week, the total number of deaths caused due to complications triggered by the vector-borne disease has gone up to 19 in the city.
According to the report submitted by Hindu Rao authorities on Saturday, an elderly and a child died at the hospital recently due to complication arising from the disease. The city has registered over 43 per cent rise in the number of reported cases in the past seven days.
Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have identified the genotype of the chikungunya virus which is the same as the one that caused the 2006 outbreak of the vector-borne disease.
Lalit Dar of Department of Microbiology at AIIMS said: “We have identified the genotype of the virus -- East Central South African -- and sent the report to the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme. It is the same genotype that was in circulation in 2006 outbreak.’’
He added that a genotype is a part (DNA sequence) of the genetic make-up of a cell and serotypes are groups within a single species of micro-organisms such as bacteria or viruses, which share distinctive surface structures.
“So, it appears, the high number of cases being reported in Delhi this year are possibly due to people’s susceptibility to this disease... (Those) who either migrated to Delhi-NCR region or were born after 2006 and thus not exposed to the virus,’’ he said.
The World Health Organisation has noted that chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common. Its treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.
