First report of Chikungunya fever in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Chikungunya shares many clinical features with dengue fever, but to date, no case has been reported in Rawalpindi and surrounding areas.

To detect the presence in Rawalpindi of chikungunya masquerading as dengue fever.

An observational study was conducted at Rawalpindi Medical University from July to December 2017. Patients with clinical features suggestive of dengue fever, but negative for dengue virus NS1 antigen were included and tested at the National Institute of Health Islamabad, Pakistan, for chikungunya using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

We tested 129 patients and 28 were positive for chikungunya. There were 17 (60.7%) men and 11 (39.3%) women, with a mean age of 32.53 years (range 16-60 years). All had fever at presentation. Other clinical features at presentation were noted, such as fever, chills, fatigue, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, retro-orbital pain, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhoea. No long-term sequelae or bleeding diatheses were seen and there was no mortality reported.

The clinical features observed and investigated confirmed our reporting of the first case of chikungunya in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.