Doctors have urged citizens not to panic over the ‘chikungunya nose’ during the present outbreak in the city. The brownish pigmentation or ‘brownie nose’ appearance is a characteristic presentation of the fever, according to various experts.
“The hyperpigmentation on the nose, also known as the ‘Chikungunya nose sign,’ is a classical sign and a known physical indicator of Chikungunya fever. This occurs due to melanin deposition on the tip of the nose and is generally not serious. The discoloration usually fades within a few weeks and is self-limiting in most cases, so there’s no need to worry,” Dr Amit Dravid, infectious diseases consultant at Noble hospital said.
Various studies have shown that chikungunya is an acute onset, mosquito-borne viral disease characterised by high fever, predominant musculo-skeletal symptoms, and skin rash. It is a re-emerging viral infection transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes.
Dr Rajesh Dighe, assistant medical chief, Pune Municipal Corporation said this year there have been 2,700 suspected cases of chikungunya. Health authorities have confirmed chikungunya fever in 225 cases. Dr Dighe said that majority of the patients have mild to moderate illness and treatment is symptomatic.
“Because of the increase in cases, there have been some who have presented with the peculiar pigmentation around the nose. However, this fades in a few weeks. Hence do not panic,” Dr Dighe urged. He has also appealed against expensive tests like PCR for diagnosing chikungunya in case the symptoms are mild to moderate.
“If a test Ns1 antigen rules out dengue, then other molecular tests can be taken up to detect chikungunya fever. It is a self-limiting illness and citizens should ensure that they are well hydrated,” Dr Dighe said.
While he pointed out that physicians have reported many patients in the same family with the fever, Dr Dighe urged people to take precautionary measures. “The infected mosquito can bite another member in the same family and hence people should ensure that they are protected by using mosquito nets,” he added.
Dr Dravid also noted that neurological complications of chikungunya like the Guillain Barre Syndrome and others have been registered in 0.1per cent of the patients. Hence it is not very common. While there were few intensive care admissions, Dr Dravid said that complications related to chikungunya like low platelet count, myocarditis and others were seen in 0.1 per cent patients.
So if 10,000 patients for example develop chikungunya, then only one has some complications. “In majority of the cases, symptomatic treatment is mainly advised,” he added.
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