Khan Abdul Waheed, Taylor-Robinson Andrew W
Medical Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
School of Health, Medical & Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Infect Dis Health. 2018 Dec;23(4):237-242. doi: 10.1016/j.idh.2018.07.002. Epub 2018 Aug 16.
The recent full-scale outbreaks of chikungunya arbovirus infection in Pakistan, the first in its history, represent a serious new challenge to the nation's public health.
In this retrospective study of successive epidemics that started in 2016 and 2017, to mid 2018 thousands of clinical cases were reported that led to a significant number of fatalities in various cities right across the country.
In the face of an already undermined healthcare system, the great burden of morbidity among the workforce caused by the outbreaks is another blow to Pakistan's shrinking economy.
In order to reduce the threat of chikungunya-related febrile illness in future, there is a pressing need for a consolidated programme of improved vector control, accurate infection diagnosis, dedicated disease surveillance and well-managed border enforcement measures to be implemented as a public health priority.
