What is Chikangunya?

Question

I want to know the symptoms & causes & precautions related to this disease.Also how harmful is it ?

Answer 1

Spelled it wrong. Chikungunya is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by an alphavirus that is spread by mosquito bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, though recent research by the Pasteur Institute in Paris claims the virus has suffered a mutation that enables it to be transmitted by Aedes albopictus (Tiger mosquito). This was the cause of the actual plague in the Indian Ocean and a threat to the Mediterranean coast at present, requiring urgent meetings of health officials in France, Italy, and Spain.

Best answer hugh?

Answer 2

Chikungunya (also called Chicken Guinea) is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by an alphavirus that is spread by mosquito bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Symptoms include fever which can reach 39°C, (102.2 °F) a rash usually involving the limbs and trunk, arthritis affecting multiple joints which can be debilitating. The symptoms could also include headache, conjunctival infection, and slight photophobia. In the present epidemic in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, India, high fever and crippling joint pain are the prevalent complaint. The fever typically lasts for two days and abruptly comes down. However, other symptoms, namely joint pain, intense headache, insomnia, and an extreme degree of prostration lasts for a variable period, usually for about 5 to 7 days.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine for chikangunya, but there are ways to help prevent exposure and that would be to avoid areas where the disease ridden mosquitos are. Stay indoors or use mosquito netting, wear pants and long sleeved shirts and secure windows and screens so mosquitos cannot get into your home.

Is it harmful?...well I imagine it isn't very comfortable, but it's unlikely that you would die from Chikangunya.

Answer 3

It is a viral infection carried by vector aedes egyptii a type of mosquito. Carried from person to person through the sting it causes high fever for three to five days. After fever subsides, debilitating body pains last for several weeks.A rash appears in some people. There is no specific treatment. Prevention is by preventing mosquito breeding.

Answer 4

It is a viral disease, spread by mosquitoes.
Headache, fever, nausea, rash.
It is not very harmful for most people. There has been a big increase in it lately in India

Answer 5

Chikungunya is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by an alphavirus that is spread by mosquito bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, though recent research by the Pasteur Institute in Paris claims the virus has suffered a mutation that enables it to be transmitted by Aedes albopictus (Tiger mosquito). This was the cause of the actual plague in the Indian Ocean and a threat to the Mediterranean coast at present, requiring urgent meetings of health officials in France, Italy, and Spain.

The name is derived from the Makonde word meaning "that which bends up" in reference to the stooped posture developed as a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease. The disease was first described by Marion Robinson[1] and W.H.R. Lumsden[2] in 1955, following an outbreak on the Makonde Plateau, along the border between Tanganyika and Mozambique, in 1952. Chikungunya is closely related to O'nyong'nyong virus.

Chikungunya is generally not fatal. However, in 2005-2006, 200 deaths have been associated with chikungunya on Réunion island and a widespread outbreak in Southern India (especially in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh). As of July 2006, Tamil Nadu reportedly had the largest number of cases, specifically centered around the southern districts of Madurai and Tirunelveli. The number of reported cases also registered a great increase in the districts of Salem, Chennai, and Chengalpattu. As of September 2006, after the flood and heavy rains in Rajasthan in August 2006, India, thousands of cases have been detected in Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Udaipur, and Chittorgarh districts. As of October 7, 2006 in the southern indian state of Kerala, 106 deaths are attributed to Chikungunya and majority of the casualties were reported in the district of Alapuzha [mainly in Cherthala Taluk]. This latest outbreak in Alappuzha is supposed to have transferred from Parassala, the southrenmost point of Kerala state where a recent outbreak were reported before the episodes of Alappuzha started. Kerala goverment has termed this as an epidemic outbreak.



Symptoms



The symptoms of Chikungunya (also called as Chicken Guinea) include fever which can reach 39°C, (102.2 °F) a petechial or maculopapular rash usually involving the limbs and trunk, and arthralgia or arthritis affecting multiple joints which can be debilitating. The symptoms could also include headache, conjunctival infection, and slight photophobia. In the present epidemic in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, India, high fever and crippling joint pain are the prevalent complaint. The fever typically lasts for two days and abruptly comes down. However, other symptoms, namely joint pain, intense headache, insomnia, and an extreme degree of prostration lasts for a variable period, usually for about 5 to 7 days.

Dermatological manifestations observed in a recent outbreak of Chikungunya fever in Southern India and Western India (Surat)(Western India reported by Dr. Buddhadev) includes the following:

* Maculopapular rash
* Nasal blotchy erythema
* Freckle-like pigmentation over centro-facial area
* Flagellate pigmentation on face and extremities
* Lichenoid eruption and hyperpigmentation in photodistributed areas
* Multiple aphthous-like ulcers over scrotum, crural areas and axilla.
* Lympoedema in acral distribution (bilateral /unilateral)
* Multiple ecchymotic spots (Children)
* Vesiculobullous lesions (infants)
* Subungual hemorrhage
* Photo Urticaria
* Acral Urticaria



Treatment

There is no specific treatment for Chikungunya. Vaccine trials were carried out in 2000, but funding for the project was discontinued and there is no vaccine currently available. A serological test for Chikungunya is available from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Chloroquine is gaining ground as a possible treatment for the symptoms associated with Chikungunya and as an antiviral agent to combat the Chikungunya virus. According to the University of Malaya, "In unresolved arthritis refractory to aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, chloroquine phosphate (250 mg/day) has given promising results." [1] Research by Italian scientist, Andrea Savarino, and his colleagues in addition a French government press release in March 2006 [2] have added more credence to the claim that chloroquine may be effective in treating Chikungunya.

Infected persons should limit further exposure to mosquito bites, stay indoors and under a mosquito net. Further, "supportive care with rest is indicated during the acute joint symptoms. Movement and mild exercise tend to improve stiffness and morning arthralgia, but heavy exercise may exacerbate rheumatic symptoms."


Epidemiology

Chikungunya was first described in Tanzania, Africa in 1952. An outbreak of chikungunya was also discovered in Port Klang in Malaysia in 1999 affecting 27 people


Preventive measures

The most effective means of prevention are those that protect against any contact with the disease-carrying mosquitos. These include using insect repellent containing DEET or permethrin, wearing long sleeves and pants, and securing screens on windows and doors. It's also important to empty stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.


Linguistic derivation

According to Lumsden's initial 1955 report about the epidemiology of the disease, the term chikungunya is derived from the Makonde root verb kungunyala, meaning to dry up or become contorted. In concurrent research, Robinson glossed the Makonde term more specifically as "that which bends up." Subsequent authors apparently overlooked the references to the Makonde language and assumed that the term derived from Swahili, the lingua franca of the region. The erroneous attribution of the term as a Swahili word has been repeated in numerous print sources; Google lists over 15,000 results in a search for "chikungunya swahili". Many other spellings and forms of the term are in common use including "Chicken guinea" and Chickengunya.

Answer 6

chicken gun you