After suffering a nightmarish dengue season in 2015, New Delhi this year is in the grips of another vector borne disease. An unexpected spike in chikungunya cases has hit Delhi and parts of north India in the past month and hospitals such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have reported numbers in hundreds.
According to agency reports AIIMS has tested 392 cases as positive through July and August. However, there are no official numbers out yet. Director of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme Dr. AC Dhariwal told dna that the body has detected an upsurge of chikungunya cases in Delhi, however, the website has not updated numbers beyond July 28, which say that Delhi has zero cases of the viral disease and the country has 9990.
The numbers do show a steady rise in the number of cases from 2012 onwards.
According to agency reports, AIIMs tested 362 samples as positive from July to August 20, 279 in August alone. Though not life threatening like dengue – there is no hemorrhagic fever -- it can be a debilitating disease, leaving the patient with crippling joint pain for weeks or months.
For now however, scientists can only offer hypothesis. It could be a mutated strain or it could be a new one entirely that has entered the country, said one microbiologist. His laboratory has tested more positives than the pattern of the past few years. It is too early, however, to call it an epidemic and it cannot be compared to the pandemic of 2006.
That season, ten years ago, however was when a new strain of chikungunya entered the country from the Reunion Islands in the Indian Ocean, which badly hit southern states in the country
"This year is different," said microbiologist Dr Shobha Broor, who retired from AIIMS. "Chikungunya is spreading in the country, not just in south India. Delhi had not seen so many cases before." She reasons that since dengue was particularly virulent last year, people's immunity has been raised to face that disease. However, the same aedes mosquito that carries the dengue virus strains carries chikungunya, which is now affecting people.
"The late, heavy rains, waterlogging have given rise to plenty of mosquitos," said Broor. She added that chikungunya does not mutate as quickly as the dengue strains.
What scientists agree on is that people in Delhi, and nearby regions do not have immunity to the chikungunya virus as they have not been exposed to it. Now that it has moved up north, different parts of the country are feeling the strain.
Rains adds to worries
"The late, heavy rains, waterlogging have given rise to plenty of mosquitos," said microbiologist Dr Shobha Broor. She added that chikungunya does not mutate as quickly as the dengue strains.
What scientists agree on is that people in Delhi, and nearby regions do not have immunity to the chikungunya virus as they have not been exposed to it. Now that it has moved up north, different parts of the country are feeling the strain.
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