As of May 28 this year, 153 people have been diagnosed with chikungunya. All the infected are residents of Dhaka. Chikungunya was detected in their bodies after testing samples of 337 people.
This information was given by Dr. Ahmed Nowsher Alam, Chief Scientific Officer of the Virology Department of the Government’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
In this regard, IEDCR Director Professor Dr. Tahmina Shirin said on Tuesday that this time 45 percent of chikungunya samples are being detected against the test. However, no one died. Dengue, chikungunya and Zika can be detected through a single test. Separate tests are not required.
According to IEDCR, the first chikungunya patient in the country was identified in 2008, in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj. Some patients were found in Doha, Dhaka in 2011. An outbreak occurred again in 2017. About 14,000 people were infected that year. The latest IEDCR report on December 6, 2024, said 67 people were infected with Chikungunya.
