Chikungunya – The Disease

Chikungunya is a viral disease having symptoms quite similar to dengue fever. It is spread by mosquitoes as well. Even though it is not necessarily life threatening, Chikungunya can leave body pain for months after the treatment.

The disease spreads by an outbreak in an interval of 7-8 years, covering considerable area and distances. It usually causes lots of joint pain which forces the patient to walk in a stooped position and hence the name.

The Cause

The Aedes aegypti and albopictus mosquitoes infect the humans with the Chikungunya virus with their bite. Once a person is infected and an uninfected mosquito bites him/ her, they pick up the virus and spread the disease by biting other humans. Hence, it is quite important to control its outbreak at all costs.

Symptoms

It takes around 3-7 days for an infected patient to show symptoms of Chikungunya. The major symptoms are:

• Fever
• Joint Pain
• Swelling
• Headache
• Muscle Pain/ Rashes

After about 7 days along with treatment, most of the patients start feeling better. But there are cases where the joint pain lasts for a few months.

During rare complicated cases, the patients may show eye problems and inflammation of the heart, liver, brain, skin, kidneys and nerves.

Testing

A blood antibody test is required to diagnose Chikungunya and distinguish it from a highly similar disease called dengue fever.

At SDC, you can be sure of accurate diagnostic testing and quick results so that you can start the treatment right away.

Remedies

Chikungunya doesn’t have a specific medicine or vaccine to treat or prevent it, mostly because of the fact that it is a viral disease. There are a mixture of medical treatments and home remedies to relieve the patient from the symptoms of Chikungunya.

• Lots of rest
• Intake of enough fluids
• Medicines to reduce fever and pain
• Avoid mosquito infestation by cleaning up areas where mosquitoes breed like empty containers with stagnant water
• Protective clothing to cover as much skin as possible like long-sleeved shirts and long pants
• Use insect repellents to keep the mosquitoes away