How to Prevent Chikungunya?

What is chikungunya?

Chikungunya fever is relatively a rare form of mosquito transmitted viral fever caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus of the genus Alphavirus (family Togaviridae) found in parts of Africa, India, Thailand and Malaysia. It causes febrile illness with debilitating joint pains and is spread by mosquito bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The name is derived from the African local dialect Swahili or Makonde meaning “bent up” position in reference to the stooped/contorted posture of persons so infected as a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease. Like dengue, chikungunya too is a disease of tropical and subtropical regions that occurs epidemically.

Chikungunya, myth and fact

There is a myth prevailing in some areas that chikungunya (chicken guinea as said by those folks) is a disease someway associated with chicken and should avoid consuming chicken at times of chikungunya epidemic breakout!!! The fact is that chikungunya is in no way related to chicken or Guinea.

How chikungunya spreads?

As said in “How to prevent dengue,” chikungunya disease too is noncontagious i.e., not an airborne infection. The chikungunya virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes get infected when they feed on a person infected with the chikungunya virus. Infected mosquitoes then spread the virus to other humans when they bite.

Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito), a household container breeder and aggressive daytime biter which is attracted to humans, is the primary vector of chikungunya virus to humans. Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito) may also play a role in human transmission in Asia, and various forest-dwelling mosquito species in Africa have been found to be infected with the virus.

What are the symptoms of chikungunya infection?

After an incubation period of 3 to 12 days, there will be a sudden onset of flu-like symptoms including a severe headache, chills, fever (up to 104°F), joint pain, nausea, vomiting and rash involving the limbs and trunk. Particularly, the joints of the extremities become swollen and painful to touch. There can also be headache, conjunctival infection and slight photophobia. Children may display neurological symptoms. The fever lasts only two days and recedes abruptly while other symptoms viz., debilitating joint pain, insomnia and severe prostration prolongs for a few days (5 to 7 days to a few weeks in some cases).

How is chikungunya diagnosed?

Sudden severe headache, chills, fever, joint and muscle pain are the common chikungunya symptoms. Due to similarities in clinical presentation with dengue, limited awareness and lack of lab facilities, chances are there that chikungunya may be misdiagnosed as dengue. The diagnostic tests include detection of antigens or antibodies in the blood using ELISA or molecular techniques like polymerase chain reaction. The antibodies detected by serological assays like ELISA require an IgM capture assay to distinguish it from dengue fever.

How to prevent chikungunya?

As the disease is spread mainly by the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus which are the same mosquitoes that spread dengue too, methods of prevention are the same as those outlined in “How to prevent dengue?” A person with chikungunya fever should limit his exposure to mosquito bites in order to avoid further spreading of infection and should stay indoors preferably under a mosquito net. Homeopathic medicine Eupatorium perfoliatum with a potency of 200C is prescribed as a prophylactic measure by some homeopaths. Touch base with a homeopath if you reside in epidemic area.

Chikungunya treatment and prognosis

No specific chikungunya vaccine or antiviral treatment for chikungunya fever is available in allopathy. Treatment is symptomatic with rest, fluid supplementation, analgesics and antipyretics. Aspirin should be avoided. Antimalarial drug Chloroquine Phosphate (250 mg/day) may be found effective in some cases. Movement and mild exercise may improve stiffness and morning joint pains.

Homeopathic medicines like Eupatorium-perf, Pyroginum, Rhus-tox, Cedron, Influenzinum, China, Arnica, Belladona, Bryonia etc., may be of use and homeopaths prescribe Eupatorium perf. as a preventive medicine for chikungunya. The most commonly suggested potency as prophylaxis is 200C of Eupatorium perf. Eupatorium perfoliatum Q (tincture, 3 to 5 drop dose) will remove the debilitating joint pains.

Chikungunya is a self-limiting infection and most patients recover fully from chikungunya virus infection over time. They get better after a few days; however, sometimes joint pain can persist for a longer period although other symptoms might have disappeared. As this virus can cause thrombocytopenia (decreased platelets) that result in bleeding, care should be taken that the drugs used do not further drop the platelets or cause bleeding due to gastric inflammation or ulcer (eg: Aspirin usage).

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