1k test positive for chikungunya since June; current virus strain not new

Regarding the existent outbreak, respective doctors stated the fig of terrible chikungunya cases person gone up successful the metropolis and manifested successful antithetic ways including neurological complications. When asked whether this was an denotation of a newer variant, the NIV manager pointed retired that they were carrying retired a afloat genome sequencing of the virus.

“We are carrying retired afloat genome sequencing to recognize if determination is an emergence of a newer variant oregon a alteration successful the virulence of the chikungunya microorganism strain,” helium said. According to Dr Anuradha Tripathy, radical head, dengue and chikungunya department, ICMR-NIV, typical samples are being sequenced to cheque for the variants. The adept said that preliminary chikungunya microorganism (CHIKV) genome sequencing and phylogenetic investigation were done successful samples of chikungunya patients from the existent outbreak successful Pune.

“The results revealed that the circulating microorganism belongs to the Indian Ocean lineage of the East-Central-South African (ECSA) genotype of CHIKV clustering with the earlier circulating strains successful India. This means that the strain is not caller and the microorganism is successful enactment with the earlier circulating ones successful the country,” Dr Tripathy said.

Chikungunya fever, an arbovirus infection, is simply a self-limiting disease. However, the morbidity tin beryllium precise precocious during outbreaks resulting successful a dense societal and economical toll, according to experts. The mosquito-borne viral illness erstwhile thought to person disappeared from the state re-emerged successful 2006 aft 3 decades.

Currently, chikungunya is endemic successful 34 states/UTs successful the country, according to a National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control report. Experts person pointed retired that chikungunya outbreaks typically effect successful a ample fig of cases and cases person been symptomatically managed.
While cases declined until 2014, according to the NCVBDC, the illness showed an upward inclination successful 2018 (57,813 clinically suspected cases), 2019 (81,914 clinically suspected cases), 2020 (43,424 clinically suspected cases), 2021 (1,19,070 clinically suspected cases) and 2022 (1,48,587 clinically suspected cases).