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Published on: March 13, 2018
Chikungunya epidemic-related mortality
S P Manimunda1, D Mavalankar, T Bandyopadhyay
1Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR), Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. sathyamanimunda@rediffmail.com
Insights
Chikungunya (CHIK) fever outbreaks can increase mortality, even when not directly registered. This study in Port Blair found a significant rise in expected deaths during the 2006 CHIK fever epidemic.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Port Blair experienced a chikungunya (CHIK) fever outbreak in 2006, affecting thousands.
- While no direct chikungunya deaths were recorded, global data suggests CHIK fever can be fatal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mortality trends in Port Blair from 2002-2008.
- To determine if the 2006 chikungunya epidemic was associated with increased mortality.
Main Methods:
- Calculated expected monthly deaths for 2006.
- Used average monthly mortality rates from 2002-2008 (excluding 2006) and the 2006 monthly population for calculations.
Main Results:
- A significant increase in expected deaths was observed during specific months in 2006.
- This rise in mortality coincided with the peak of the chikungunya fever epidemic.
Conclusions:
- The 2006 chikungunya outbreak in Port Blair was associated with a significant increase in overall mortality.
- This highlights the potential public health impact of chikungunya fever beyond directly registered fatalities.
Abstract:
Port Blair, the capital city of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the republic of India, witnessed an outbreak of chikungunya (CHIK) fever in 2006. Although no deaths attributable to CHIK fever were registered, thousands of people were affected. In view of evidence from other parts of the world indicating that CHIK fever does cause death we studied the mortality trend in Port Blair from 2002 to 2008 in order to verify if there was increased mortality during the CHIK fever epidemic. The expected number of monthly deaths in 2006 was calculated by multiplying the average monthly mortality rate from 2002 to 2008 (with the exception of 2006) with the monthly population in 2006. The results indicated that there was a significant increase in expected deaths during some months of 2006, which coincided with the peak in the CHIK fever epidemic in Port Blair.
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