Low graphics   |   Mobile      Login   |   About us      
Fri, 22:56 18 Sep 2009 GMT17

 
Chikungunya

Last reviewed: 01-09-2008

A DEBILITATING ILLNESS


A Ministry of Health worker sprays insecticide around homes following an outbreak in Port Louis, Mauritius. REUTERS/Nita Bhalla
A Ministry of Health worker sprays insecticide around homes following an outbreak in Port Louis, Mauritius. REUTERS/Nita Bhalla
Chikungunya is a rare viral infection transmitted by the bite of the infected aedes aegypti mosquito, occurring primarily in tropical areas of Africa as well as South and Southeast Asia. Symptoms include high fever, joint and muscular pain, severe headaches, body aches and a rash similar to that seen in dengue patients.

  • Occurs after monsoon rains
  • Rarely fatal
  • Major outbreak in Reunion

    While the flu-like fever is painful, lasting from a few days to a couple of weeks, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says no deaths from chikungunya have been conclusively proven in scientific literature.

    The virus is, however, believed to have led indirectly to scores of deaths on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion during an outbreak which began in March 2005.

    More than a third of the population - 266,000 people - were infected, and 260 people died.

    The epidemic that began in Kenya in 2004 also spread to other Indian Ocean islands, including the Comoros, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Madagascar.

    In 2006, officials in India said the country was dealing with 1.3 million suspected cases and government doctors in Sri Lanka said pockets of the fever had been detected across the island, with some 5,000 people infected in the far north.

    A small outbreak occurred in Singapore in 2008.

    The name, chikungunya, comes from the Swahili for "that which bends up", reflecting the physique of a person suffering from the disease. According to the CDC, it was first isolated in the blood of a febrile patient in Tanzania in 1953. There is no known vaccine.


    Unlike some other content on this website, the written content in this article may be republished or redistributed by any means free of charge. Any use of photographs and graphics on this website is expressly prohibited. You must check whether written content contained in other articles on this website may be republished or redistributed without the express permission of Reuters or the relevant third party provider.

    • Related articles

    Breaking stories
     Africa Mosquito-borne African virus a new threat to West

    U.S. FDA approves Abbott HIV screening test

    AlertNet insight
     Africa ICRC appeals to Somalia's warring parties to spare hospitals

    Aid agency news feed
     Africa The UMCOR Hotline for September 15, 2009

    Blogs
     Hitler stars in AIDS awareness video

    Maps
     Americas MAP: Swine Influenza (as of 29 Apr 2009) - Location Map


    AlertNet for journalists

    AlertNet for journalists is a set of tools and services designed to make life easier for reporters, fact-checkers and editors when covering humanitarian emergencies.
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-18T133643Z_01_SRI14_RTRIDSP_2_KASHMIR_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SRI14.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-18T133309Z_01_SRI13_RTRIDSP_2_KASHMIR_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SRI13.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-16T151107Z_01_DEL09_RTRIDSP_2_CLIMATE-INDIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DEL09.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-16T144359Z_01_DEL10_RTRIDSP_2_CLIMATE-INDIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DEL10.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-16T144234Z_01_DEL08_RTRIDSP_2_CLIMATE-INDIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DEL08.htm

    Mohammed Yasin Malik (L), chief of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), addresses a gathering outside the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali in Chrar-e-Sharief, 35 km (22 miles) west of ...


    More pictures | Galleries

    * Denotes mandatory entry      Rate this item *  
    • Currently 4/5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5


    Name: *     Email: * 
    I am: *     


    Comments:

    Enter the code shown on the left *




    URL: http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/MU_CHI.htm

    For our full disclaimer and copyright information please visit http://www.alertnet.org