Cases of new mysterious viral fever reported in Pakistan

Cases of “mysterious viral fever” have been reported in Pakistan’s Karachi, the symptoms of which are similar to dengue fever, showing reduced platelets and white blood cells in patients, according to local media.

The viral fever was tested for dengue fever, but the result was negative, News International reported, citing clinicians and pathologists.

“For a couple of weeks, we have been seeing cases of viral fever, in which platelets and white blood cells are dropping while other clinical symptoms are also similar to dengue fever. But when NS1 antigen of these patients is performed, their tests come out to be negative,” Professor Saeed Khan, head of molecular pathology at Dow University of Health Sciences, told News International.

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Other experts, including physicians and hematopathologists from various Karachi hospitals, have confirmed that a dengue virus-like pathogen is circulating in the city, causing a disease that behaves similarly to dengue fever and requires similar treatment protocols, but is not dengue fever. 

Muhammad Zohaib, a molecular scientist at Gulshan-e-Hospital, confirmed that they, as well as several other pathologists in the city, had seen cases of viral fever, which was not dengue but had dengue-like symptoms.

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“Owing to this mysterious viral disease in addition to the rising number of dengue fever cases, there is an extreme shortage of mega units of platelets as well as random units in the city. People are moving from pillar to post for mega units and random platelet units for their loved ones,” he said.

Forty-five new dengue fever cases have been recorded in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad on Friday, according to the district health officer (DHO).