Beware of the Chikungunya Virus

You may have heard about the chikungunya virus over the past few days in the news.  The chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne illness.  It causing high fevers and sometimes intense pain.  It is spreading rapidly through the Caribbean and numerous cases of the disease have appeared in the United States.  None have been confirmed in New Jersey, but there have been confirmed cases in surrounding states.

In the Makonde language, the term “chikungunya” means to be bent out of shape, in reference to the virus’s ability to cause people to contort in pain.

Chikungunya Virus Facts:

1.  The chikungunya virus was first identified in Tanzania in 1952.  It has mostly remained within Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia for the past few decades.

2.  In 2013 sustained transmission of the chikungunya virus had occurred in the Caribbean.  The virus is widespread, with up to 17 different countries in the Caribbean reporting cases of the disease.

3.  Travelers from the U.S., who vacation in the Caribbean have been bringing the virus home with them.

4. Infection of the chikungunya virus occurs when a person gets bitten by a mosquito that has previously fed on another infected individual   It is transmitted mainly by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species. These mosquitoes are widespread across the Americas and tend to bite during the daytime rather than at night, can be found in urban areas and can even thrive in big cities.

5. Once a person becomes infected, there’s an incubation period of 3 - 7 days before symptoms present. The most common signs of the virus are fever and joint pain, typically in multiple joints. Chikungunya can also cause muscle aches, headaches, rash and joint swelling.

6.  The virus is rarely lethal, but there is no cure for chikungunya and its effects can be quite debilitating, especially for the elderly population. Some patients will only suffer a minor fever and mild joint pain that dissipates within a week, others can suffer very high fevers and sustained joint pain for several weeks or even months.

7.  Since there aren’t any current therapies for treating chikungunya, the best course of action is prevention  by avoiding mosquito bites.  Prevention includes staying indoors, covering up and using insect repellants.  Unfortunately, many insect repellants are toxic.  I like Don't Bite Me Patches that are a vitamin B1 product that is all natural and can be obtained from http://www.dontbitemepatch.com

8.  To avoid mosquitoes breeding in your yard, try to eliminate any standing water in gutters and drains.  Standing water even as small as a capful, can breed mosquitoes.

9.  If someone thinks that they have become infected with chikungunya, they should go to a doctor.  The doctor may recommend  over-the-counter pain medications that can help to mitigate the symptoms and bring down the fever,, but there’s no treatment for eliminating the virus. Infected patients can help to stop the spread of the disease by taking extra precautions to avoid mosquitoes.

For More Information:

http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/