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Chikungunya Virus Infection in Pakistan (Update)

09 Jan 2017

A media reportLink of 6 January 2017 asserts that as of the 3 January 2017, the total number of chikungunya cases associated with the current outbreak in Karachi (Sindh, Pakistan) is 369.

Health experts continue to advise people to protect themselves from mosquito bites and undertake mosquito control activities in their homes and surrounding areas.

Advice for Travellers

No vaccine is available against Chikungunya. Avoidance of mosquito bites is the only reliable means of prevention. Methods of bite avoidance include:

  • Wearing long, loose, lightly coloured clothing to cover up the skin.
  • The use of insect repellant containing DEET applied to any exposed skin.
  • The use of permethrin, impregnated mosquito nets.
  • The use of air conditioning if available and/or mesh screening of windows and doors.
  • Eradication of mosquito breeding sites around the home (e.g. open containers, old tyres or flower pots that may collect water).