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Chikungunya in the Caribbean
Updated: July 01, 2014
What is the current situation?
In December 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported local transmission of chikungunya in Saint Martin. Local transmission means that mosquitoes in the area have been infected with chikungunya and are spreading it to people. This is the first time that local transmission of chikungunya has been reported in the Americas.
Local transmission of chikungunya is now being reported in other countries in the Caribbean. As of June 17, 2014, the following Caribbean countries have reported cases of chikungunya:
Anguilla
Antigua
British Virgin Islands
Dominica
Dominican Republic
French Guiana
Guadeloupe
Guyana
Haiti
Martinique
Puerto Rico
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Kitts
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin (French)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sint Maarten (Dutch)
Turks and Caicos Islands
US Virgin Islands
CDC recommends that travelers to the Caribbean protect themselves from mosquito bites. Some travelers may be more likely to get chikungunya, have severe disease, or be at higher risk for other reasons. CDC advises travelers in high-risk groups to discuss their travel plans with their health care provider. These groups include the following:
People who have arthritis
People with serious underlying medical conditions (such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes)
People older than 65
Women who are late in their pregnancies, because of the risk to babies born at the time their mother is sick
Long-term travelers, including missionaries and humanitarian aid workers and people visiting friends and relatives
People who might have difficulty avoiding mosquito bites, such as those planning to spend a lot of time outdoors or staying in rooms without window screens or air conditioning.
What is chikungunya?
Chikungunya is an illness caused by a virus that spreads through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of chikungunya are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. Chikungunya disease rarely results in death, but the symptoms can be severe and disabling. Most people who get sick feel better within a week. In some people, the joint pain may last for months or years.
redmanjp wrote:only a matter of time before it hit T&T
fouljuice wrote:redmanjp wrote:only a matter of time before it hit T&T
I think this was already here but they didn't want to admit it.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/columnist/2014-02-17/chikungunya-virus
hustla_ambition101 wrote:fouljuice wrote:redmanjp wrote:only a matter of time before it hit T&T
I think this was already here but they didn't want to admit it.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/columnist/2014-02-17/chikungunya-virus
I really think it here also, but with the level of self diagnosing and wrong diagnosing that occurs locally......not a surprise it hasn't been identified
Three chikungunya cases in T&T
By port of spain - Michelle Loubon
Story Created: Jul 13, 2014 at 10:17 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jul 14, 2014 at 10:12 AM ECT
Chikungunya, commonly known as CHIKV, has entered 26 Caribbean countries and “it is spreading at one country per week”, Dr James Hospedales, executive director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), said yesterday.
Chikungunya is a viral disease which is spread by the dreaded aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever. It is characterised by severe pains in the joints. In the dialect of a tribe in East Africa, CHIKV, means “that which bends you up.”
Asked to give an update on the status of CHIKV, Hospedales, in a telephone interview yesterday, said: “The Ministry of Health has confirmed three people got CHIKV based on the lab tests at CARPHA. It is spreading at one country a week. What has been predicted for some time has come to pass because 26 Caribbean countries have reported cases since it entered in December last year. It recently got into the big islands like Haiti and Dominican Republic. It is in Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.”
Hospedales confirmed there have been three cases locally. On Sunday, in newspaper advertisements, Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan confirmed there were three cases of chikungunya infection locally. The release also called upon the population to practise protective measures, including wearing loose-fitting clothing and getting rid of old tyres.
On the eve of World Health Day (WHO), at a CHIKV sensitisation conference (April 6) at CARPHA’s headquarters at Federation Park, Port of Spain, Hospedales had said although “there were “no reported cases yet,” it was important to be on high alert since some French, English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries had reported cases.
But now it has entered here, Hospedales also said it was important to keep chikungunya from spreading rapidly by keeping one’s surroundings immaculately clean. Another necessary intervention is to follow the checklist which is posted on the website at www.carpha.com to get rid of the mosquito’s breeding sites.
He added: “Take ten minutes and clean up everything that is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Clean up water drums and areas for storing water. Go to the CARPHA website and walk around with the graphic to clean up your home.”
Offering some advice to people who believe they might have contracted CHIKV, Hospedales said:” If people find they have fever and joint pains that are similar to the CHIKV symptoms, then, they have to seek urgent medical attention. Make use of insect repellant. Stay under bed nets.”
Asked about the mortality rate for people who have contracted CHIKV, Hospedales said: “It is rarely fatal.”
But Hospedales said there were cases where people with pre-existing health problems like diabetes and heart disease had died after contracting it.
Comparing CHIKV to dengue, Hospedales said: “People experience severe joint pains. That’s the distinguishing feature of CHIKV. Dengue does not have swollen joint pains. But a person who has contracted CHIKV can have joint pains for months. In parts of Africa and India, a significant percentage of people experience excruciating joint pain that goes on for months.”
Attempts to contact Khan on his mobile and an alternative mobile number proved futile.
About CHIKV (chikungunya)
Symptoms include a sudden high fever, severe pain in the wrists, ankles, knuckles, muscle pain, headache, nausea and rash. Joint pain and stiffness are more common with chikungunya than with dengue. Symptoms appear between four and seven days after the bite of an infected mosquito. The majority of clinical signs and symptoms last three to ten days, but joint pain may persist longer. Severe cases requiring hospitalisation are rare. There is no vaccine or treatment for CHIKV, which has affected millions of people. There is no vaccine or treatment, which has infected millions of people in Africa and Asia since the disease was first recorded in 1952.
The number of chikungunya infections in an ongoing outbreak in the Caribbean region saw another steep rise last week, with the Dominican Republic again accounting for much of the new activity, along with Guadeloupe and Martinique, according to the latest update from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The total number of suspected and confirmed cases rose to 355,617, an increase of 48,780 from the week before, according to PAHO's Jul 11 update. Nearly 28,000 of the new cases were reported from the Dominican Republic, while new case numbers were not listed from neighboring Haiti, another outbreak hotspot.
Other areas that contributed sizable parts of last week's increase are Guadeloupe with 11,600 new cases and Martinique with 8,550, according to the PAHO report.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in its communicable disease threat update today that most of the affected outbreak areas continue to report cases, "but the situation is particularly severe in the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic)."
Elsewhere, the first locally acquired chikungunya cases have been detected in Trinidad and Tobago, according to a Jul 13 report from the Trinidad Express newspaper. James Hospedales, MD, executive director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency, said the outbreak appears to be spreading to one new country per week, according to the report.
PAHO said the only US territory that saw a notable increase was Puerto Rico, which reported 177 more suspected or confirmed cases for a total of 405 so far.
The number of deaths held steady at 21.
Cases in Central and South America
In Central America, 96 more suspected or confirmed cases were reported, raising the area's total to 1,616, PAHO reported. All of those cases were reported in El Salvador. The country recently declared a national emergency to grapple with its spike in suspected cases.
Some South American countries with coastlines on the Caribbean Sea have also reported cases: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. However, the only one reporting new cases is French Guiana, with 211 more than the previous week, pushing its total to 601, according to PAHO's report.
Some other areas of Central and South America are reporting suspected cases, and it's still unclear if the disease is confirmed or if the illnesses reflect local or travel-related transmission, the ECDC said.
Costa Rica has a confirmed case, but health officials still aren't sure if it's local or imported. Honduras is reporting suspected cases, and Venezuela is reporting 28 cases, but authorities haven't determined if all are imported.
Imported cases
In related developments, the number of imported cases in the PAHO region grew by 43 to 205, with Nicaragua and Paraguay on the case list for the first time. Most of the travel-related cases have been reported by the United States.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a Jul 8 update that 138 imported cases have been reported in travelers so far. In typical year, the agency averages only 28 cases.
Five confirmed cases of chikungunya virus in T&T
Story Created: Jul 23, 2014 at 11:19 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jul 23, 2014 at 11:19 PM ECT
There are now five confirmed cases of the chikungunya virus in Trinidad.
The Ministry of Health, through consultation with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) confirmed yesterday there were two additional cases of the chikungunya virus in Trinidad, bringing the total to five. Affected people live in different parts of Trinidad.
“This underscores the need for all citizens across the country to take steps to prevent infection of this disease. There are at this time, no confirmed cases in Tobago,” the ministry said in a statement.
Signs and symptoms:
• High fever
• Joint pain which may be severe
• Headache
• Back Pain
• Muscle Pain
• Rash
• Conjunctivitis (reddening of the
eyes)
• Nausea and vomiting
Anyone showing a combination of these signs and symptoms should seek immediate medical treatment at the nearest health facility or from their family doctor.
MAP: Chikungunya cases confirmed in T&T
Twenty-two cases of Chikungunya have been confirmed in Trinidad and Tobago. The map below shows the known areas where the confirmed cases have been reported. A specific breakdown of the number of cases at each location is not yet available.
In addition, 60 suspected cases have also been reported.
This map is updated in real-time so keep checking back for updates as the situation develops.
SMc wrote:Just wash yuh piggy in boiling water every night and you will be fine. These mosquitos are attracted to the smell of cheesy cockhead only, hence the name of the virus.
SMc wrote:Just wash yuh piggy in boiling water every night and you will be fine. These mosquitos are attracted to the smell of cheesy cockhead only, hence the name of the virus.
:grin::grin::grin::grin:turbosingh wrote:An off course chicken price goin an remain the same!
ruffneck_12 wrote:
anybody ever try this?
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