HYDERABAD: Investigation into an outbreak of chikungunya cases in Tharparkar suggests launching a drive for health education among community and fogging spray inside mud-thatched straw huts, along with mixing of limited quantity of mustard seed oil in freshwater sources in the area to control the vector.

While no chikungunya death is so far reported, the number of confirmed cases has increased to 95 from 84 on Aug 8. So far blood samples of a total number of 171 patients were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for test.

Results of 143 cases have been received by the provincial health authorities and that of 25 are pending while 95 cases were found to be confirmed chikungunya cases.

A team of doctors, comprising representatives from the Sindh malaria and dengue control programmes, has already extended its stay on the request of the district administration for monitoring activities in 16 villages of Chhachhro and seven of Mithi where cases of chikungunya had been reported since April.

The team also included an expert from the Field Emergency Laboratory Testing Programme (FELTP), which is working in collaboration with the Centres for Disease Control that support countries globally.

“No death on account of chikungunya is reported so far from the two talukas,” Sindh Health Services Director General Dr Akhlaq Khan told Dawn here on Wednesday. He said the visiting team is actively engaged with the community and they would continue their activity.

He disclosed that around 632 lady health workers (LHWs) were in Tharparkar district and they were very much part and parcel of the community.

“Any recommendation involving their assistance for community can easily be ensured,” he said.

Entomologist Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Cha­nna believed that the vector was actually avail­able inside chaunras (mud-thatched straw huts) that needed to be eliminated there.

“In Tharparkar population remains scattered with limited sources of water and that too inside their houses,” he said.

Following his investigation, he said, he had proposed to the health authorities that fogging spray should continue and it should cover chaunras to eliminate this domestic mosquito vector.

“This is basically adult female vector that bites and causes infection. And we are showing this female adult mosquito and its larvae to the community which is around 10mm in size in water,” he said. He said that chikungunya’s vector could easily be differentiated with dengue’s vector because of their breathing system.

“Adult mosquito can be eliminated through fogging spray inside chaunras and the larvae can be controlled with mixing limited quantity of mustard seed oil in freshwater source as larvae can’t survive if oil is mixed with water. The community can use this oil on their own,” he claimed. He said that lady health workers’ intervention was also necessary in this regard. Oil creates a surface on freshwater that blocks environmental oxygen supply for larvae inside water.

Dr Naveed Masood of FELTP was of the view that community education was to play an important role in this regard in the affected villages of the two talukas. “We are visiting schools in these talukas for health education of children as well and advising them to use full sleeves at the time of sunset and sunrise,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2017