December 3, 2006

Jeff - We have been talking about Chikungunya for well over a year now and, in the beginning, I did not get much email about the virus. Well, people are starting to realize that the strain of Chikungunya virus running around the globe is definitely virulent.

 

As Dr. Charles Calisher of Univ. of Colorado points out, there is a danger of Chik becoming endemic in the US if mosquitos in warmer states become infected.

 

I stated this a year ago, and I state it again, this oubreak of Chikungunya virus is different and deadly. It also appears that the virus is neurotropic as well. It has caused encephalitis and/or meningitis and there have been deaths attributed to this ONCE rare and ONCE benign disease.

 

Patty

 

Anomalous Fever Runs Rampant In Maldives

 

12-3-6

 

The Department of Public Health and various doctors have confirmed that a viral fever with anomalous symptoms has been running rampant through the Maldives during the course of the last few days. The fever has been found in several different regions and has proved to spread very quickly and very easily. Doctors have said that when coupled with other factors, the viral fever could prove to be very dangerous.

 

The public is becoming more and more concerned about the facts and nature of the viral fever.

 

Confirmed symptoms of the new virus include high fever, headaches, aches in joints and muscles, dizziness and nausea, weakness, and outbreak of rashes. Some doctors have said that these were the symptoms of Chicken Gunya, spread through mosquitoes in neighbouring countries.

 

"There is a viral fever with unusual symptoms," said Dr. Ahmed Raazee, a senior doctor at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, last Tuesday. "However, we have as of yet been unable to diagnose what this particular viral fever is. We would need to conduct a serology test in order to find out what disease this is."

 

Chicken Gunya is a disease similar to Dengue Fever, and can only be easily identified through blood tests. Chicken Gunya is transmitted by mosquitoes (genus Aedes Egypti) which are used as temporary hosts. Aedes Egypti are generally smaller than other mosquitoes and tend to bite during the day time. Doctors consider the employing of means to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes a necessity.

 

"The public should not panic," said a senior doctor. "The public should instead focus on preventative measures. We are sure that it's a viral fever, so patients should drink a lot of water and have ORS (Oral Rehydration Salts) in addition to medicine."

 

The Department of Public Health had detected the outbreak of a fever throughout the Maldives as early as a month ago, and had sent blood samples to a laboratory in Pune, India, for analysis. The Department of Public Health had suspected that the previous fever had been Chicken Gunya, but the tests had proven negative.

 

IGMH officials said that the hospital had sent samples of the fever that is currently turning up throughout Maldives to laboratories abroad for analysis. According to doctors, the first symptoms of this new fever appear to be nausea and aches all over the body, especially in the joints and muscles.

 

"Most patients seem to be suffering from these symptoms the most," said one doctor. "In some cases, the nausea and vomiting spells are so bad that the patients' bodies become dehydrated and reach a very critical stage. Furthermore, if the fever is not controlled and grows too strong, it could cause harm to the brain and put the patient's life in danger. However, the chances of this happening are low."

 

The rainy season further complicates the matter of reducing mosquito populations. The number of patients infected with the viral fever was 284 on 28th November. Sri Lanka is also currently experiencing an outbreak of a viral fever.

 

http://www.haveeru.com.mv/?page=engdetails&id=9588

 

Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD

Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics

Univ of West Indies

 

Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message board at:

http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php

Also my new website:

http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/

Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa

Go with God and in Good Health

http://www.rense.com/general74/newstrain.htm

 

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