Africa virus creeps into city

MUMBAI: A rare parasitic infection, trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness, endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, has been detected in parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, baffling health officials.

Three persons have been diagnosed with the infection this year, all from different areas and backgrounds. A World Health Organisation (WHO) team, which collected blood samples from the victims a few months ago, is still trying to find out how the disease, which is common in cattle, was transmitted to humans.

The matter has become urgent with the death of one of the victims, a Pune-based water supplier, last month. One person from Chandrapur and an infant from Mumbai were the others diagnosed with trypanosomiasis.

Curiously, none of the patients developed any neurological symptoms. The parasite travels through the circulatory system to the brain, causing lethargy and inconsistent behaviour. It starts as a fever with the patient suffering from joint pain and body ache. If left untreated, it breaks down the person’s immunity and may lead to death.

In India, only animals were known to be infected by certain trypanosomes. “There is still a big question mark how it was transmitted,” said Dr R Katti, state nodal officer for the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project. “The death of the Pune patient despite appropriate treatment has confused and worried us.”

The first confirmed case in India was that of a 56-year-old farmer from Shiwni village in Chandrapur district. He was treated and cured. The second was reported from Pune in May. But the 57-year-old water supplier had never in direct contact with cattle. “A WHO team was also involved in the treatment,” said Dr Katti, “but we could not save him.”

An eight-month-old from Mumbai was the third person to be affected. After treatment at Parel’s Wadia hospital, she was declared healthy. “But she is being monitored,” said one of the doctors at the hospital.

In this case too, experts have failed to establish a link between the child and the parasite. “Her parents were not affected by the parasite, so she might have got it accidentally,” said Dr Asish Chandra Dhariwal, joint director, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi. A remote connection is that her father deals in dairy products. Another assumption is that she may have been bitten by a fly.

Maharashtra has procured in bulk an injection, sodium suramin, that is used to treat human trypanosomiasis.