Karachi has started documenting mysterious origin viral fever cases that emulate Dengue-like symptoms. The outcome shows reduced platelets and white blood cell count but continually tests negative for Dengue; the result comes out to be negative.
“We have been seeing these cases for a couple of weeks now, in which platelets and white blood cells levels drop alongside other dengue similar symptoms. But when we perform the NS1 Antigen test, the result is negative,” said Prof Saeed Khan, the head of molecular pathology at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS).
Other experts have validated this concern, being vocal about the virus-like pathogen that acts similar to Dengue and even requires the same treatment protocols. According to clinicians, considering this mystery virus and the high number of dengue cases, hospitals and blood banks across Karachi face a severe scarcity of platelets. They warned people regarding vector-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria and to take preventive measures against them.
“It could be related to ‘Arboviruses’ section, seeing how similar it is to Dengue. We did a PCR test to rule out Dengue, it also can’t be a dengue variant, and Zika virus behaves too differently.” noted Prof Saeed, adding that they’ve already started research into the peculiar phenomenon.
Dr Zeeshan Hussain, an experienced hemato-pathologist, said that luckily, this mysterious viral fever had not resulted in any mortalities so far, adding that treatment for patients is according to Dengue protocols.
“No haemorrhagic fever has been caused by the virus so far. Thankfully, most patients afflicted with this strange virus are responding positively to conventional treatment,” Dr Hussain informed.