Chitwan, September 30

As the number of chikungunya patients rises in India, a woman from Chitwan residing in Chandranigahapur of Rautahat has tested positive for the disease.

The woman, a permanent resident of Narayani municipality – 3, Buddhanagar, tested positive for the disease, said Acting Chief at the District Public Health Office Nara Hari Chapagain. A team of health workers led by Chapagain reached the woman’s house for further tests on Friday. The patient had been living in Rautahat for the past six years.

The patient was first admitted at Chitwan’s Maulakalika Hospital on September 17 after she complained of fever. She reached the health facility on September 19 again when she didn’t feel better. She was wrongly diagnosed with dengue and referred to Kathmandu-based Shukraraj Tropical Hospital, said Dr Kalidash Adhikari of Maulakalika Hospital.

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Department confirmed that the woman was actually suffering from chikungunya. She was discharged from the hospital on September 23.

Ram KC from the District Public Health Office, Chitwan said that the woman had been living with her husband in Rautahat as her husband had a job there. The condition of the woman is said to be normal now.

Patients exhibit symptoms such as nausea, high fever, headache, and pain in the joints to name a few. Doctors have advised the public to consult their doctors as soon as such symptoms are seen in patients. Lately, patients diagnosed with dengue have also been advised to test for chikungunya, said Dr Adhikari.

Chikungunya is transmitted when an infected aedes mosquito bites people. The same strand of mosquitoes is also known for carrying diseases such as dengue and yellow fever. However, the zika virus and yellow fever have not been detected in Nepal so far. Protecting against mosquito bites is the most important measure to prevent the disease.