Chikungunya- causes, Symptoms and Treatment
According to experts, Chikungunya, which spreads through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, will affect the people of northern India more than South India in the next few years. In the last year’s statistics, only about 18,000 cases of 64,000 cases were reported from South India and the remaining 46,000 cases were found in North India. Since the symptoms of Chikungunya and dengue are generally similar, due to which most people failed in identifying Chikungunya, resulting more cases of Chikungunya in the past years.
What is Chikungunya:
Chikungunya is a viral disease which is transmitted through mosquito bite. The mosquito who is responsible for spreading Chikungunya is known as Aedes Aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Fever and Joints pain are the main symptoms of Chikungunya and if treatment is not done at right time, it may cause of severe joint pain. Chikungunya patients have to undergo a severe joints pen and in such cases they do not walk properly and often go down and bend, this is the reason that this disease was named Chikungunya.
Symptoms of Chikungunya:
Although fever and joints pain are the main symptoms of Chikungunya but there are some more Chikungunya Symptoms, they are-
- Joints pain and swelling
- Skin Rashes
- Insomnia
- Muscle pain
- Vomiting and nausea
- Eye pain and weakness
Chikungunya Diagnosis: Only a blood test can definitively diagnose chikungunya as symptoms are not always easy to tell apart from other conditions. Although Chikungunya virus is not fatal but its symptoms like high fever and joints pain may be severe and long lasting. For chikungunya treatment there is no specific drugs but over-the-counter your doctor will prescribe some medications to you that will help ease fever and joint pain.
Prevention tips for Chikungunya:
Currently there is no prevention for this virus causing disease. There are no anti-viral medications available although your own immune system is the best fighter for this virus. The mosquito bites in the day time and reduces its humming of the wings while it is approaching the target and it will often bite from beneath the arms. There are several ways of prevention:
- Prevent mosquito bite
2. Protect your baby or child from mosquito bite
3. Take steps to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home
4. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants etc.