West Nile virus outbreak in Pakistan: Another potential public health threat in the pipeline?

Summaiyya Waseem; Taha Gul Shaikh; Syed Hassan Ahmed; Rana Muhammad Usama; Muhammad Sohaib Asghar; Muhammad Junaid Tahir

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103663

West Nile virus outbreak in Pakistan: Another potential public health threat in the pipeline?

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022 Apr 22:77:103663. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103663. eCollection 2022 May.

Authors

Summaiyya Waseem¹, Taha Gul Shaikh¹, Syed Hassan Ahmed¹, Rana Muhammad Usama², Muhammad Sohaib Asghar³, Muhammad Junaid Tahir²

Affiliations

¹ Dow University of Health Sciences, 74200, Karachi, Pakistan.
² Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan.
³ Dow University of Health Sciences-Ojha Campus, 75300, Karachi, Pakistan.

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV), a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family of Flaviviridae, is an arbovirus transmitted to humans predominantly by mosquito bites. It exhibits a wide range of clinical findings ranging from asymptomatic presentation to severe several neurological disorders. WNV has afflicted several countries around the globe including Pakistan. News of yet another outbreak in the country by WNV is circulating again. Concerned authorities should act vigilantly before the endemic takes over completely and bring down the already bereaving healthcare of Pakistan.

Keywords: Arbovirus; Epidemic; Global health; Infection; Virus; West Nile fever.