Early Rise in Chikungunya Cases: Here Are the DOs and DON’Ts

At least 79 cases have been reported in Delhi in 2017, even though the season of the disease had ended in December.

Picture used for representative purpose. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Nearly 150 cases of chikungunya and 87 cases of dengue have already been reported in Delhi, even before the onset of monsoon.

Last year, the epidemic reached alarming proportions, with Delhi alone recording 7,760 chikungunya and 4,431 dengue cases, 10 years after a big outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in the country in 2006.

Also Read: Dengue, Chikungunya Are Preventable; Stop Pretending They Aren’t

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain has said that the Delhi government is prepared to deal with the Chikungunya outbreak.

Previously. the Delhi government had said that though chikungunya is a debilitating disease, it’s not life-threatening like dengue. However, in people with any co-morbid condition – diabetes, heart ailments, cancer, tuberculosis, or in babies under the age of one and elders above the age of 65 – death from brain inflammation, septic shock, and multi-organ failure can occur.

The virus causing the disease spreads in humans through mosquito bites and is not communicable through direct human-to-human transfer.

The situation in Delhi hospitals was concerning during the dengue epidemic in 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Symptoms

Chikungunya patients show symptoms similar to dengue, but it’s not as dangerous.

The most common symptoms include -

• high fever
  
• severe joint pain
  
• swelling
  
• muscle pain
  
• headache
  
• rashes
  

Joint pains may last longer compared to dengue, being especially difficult for elderly people.

DOs and DON’Ts of Chikungunya

While there is no specific treatment or vaccine for Chikungunya, there are various precautions to prevent it, as well as suggestions for patients who have already contracted the disease.

DO’s

• Eliminate the breeding grounds of the infected mosquitoes like open containers with stagnant water.
  
• Avoid getting mosquito bites by using insect repellants and wearing protective clothing.
  
• Chikungunya patients should be given medicines to reduce fever and pain.
  
• Patients should get plenty of rest.

DON’Ts

• Do not administer any medicines to the patients without doctor’s consultation, refrain from self-medication.
  
• Do not keep your surroundings unhygienic for that might make them a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

(This article was first published on 23 August 2016.)