Chikungunya Fever
What is chikungunya fever? Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to
humans by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes.
What type of illness does chikungunya virus cause? This infection can cause a
debilitating illness, most often characterized by fever, headache, fatigue, nausea,
vomiting, muscle pain, rash, and joint pain.
The incubation period (time from infection to illness) can be 2-12 days, but is
usually 3-7 days.
Acute chikungunya fever typically lasts a few days to a couple of weeks, but as
with dengue, some patients have prolonged fatigue lasting several weeks.
Additionally, some patients have reported incapacitating joint pain, or arthritis
which may last for weeks or months.
How do humans become infected with chikungunya virus? Chikungunya fever is
spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.
How is chikungunya virus infection treated? No vaccine or specific antiviral
treatment for chikungunya fever is available. Treatment is symptomatic—rest,
fluids, and ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, or paracetamol may relieve
symptoms of fever and aching. Aspirin or Dispirin should be avoided during the
acute stages of the illness.
What can people do to prevent becoming infected with chikungunya virus? The
best way to avoid Chikungunya infection is to prevent mosquito bites. There is no
vaccine or preventive drug.
Prevention tips are similar to those for Dengue, featured in my previous post.
If you ever notice that many persons have
suffered from an illness which may appear to
be Chikungunya Fever, please inform this to the local
health authorities or reply to this post at the earliest. This will help
in preventing the disease acquiring epidemic
proportions.
Hope you found the information helpful.
If you require any information about any other disease, don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Kastor.
No comments:
Post a Comment