Chikungunya

Chikungunya, also known as Chicken Guinea, is a rare form of viral infection caused by an alphavirus that is spread by the mosquitoes of genus Aedes i.e. Aedes Aegypti, Aedes Albopicticus (Tiger mosquito). The name of the disease is derived from the word 'Swahili', a language spoken in East Africa meaning 'that which bends up', reflecting the physique of a person suffering from the disease. Chikungunya virus is highly-infective and disabling. It is possible for a person to have Chikungunya and Dengue fever together at the same time because the infected Aedes mosquito can carry both the viruses.Though Chikungunya is not considered to be fatal, deaths have been reported, directly or indirectly related to this disease .

Symptoms
The symptoms

of Chikungunya are very similar to those of dengue fever, except that there is no hemorrhagic or shock syndrome form. The incubation period is usually 1-12 days- that means the disease manifests 1 to 12 days after the bite of the mosquito. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection can cause a debilitating illness characterized by high fever which can reach up to 104 degree Fahrenheit. There will be a sudden onset of flu-like symptoms, including severe headache, chills, rash, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and joint pain. The normal symptoms persist usually upto 3 days but in a few cases, they may be upto 2 weeks. The joints of the extremities will become swollen and painful to touch and because of this, the disease has been classified among the Arthritic Viruses. Platelet Count in the body decrease till the disease persist. A condition known as Nuetropenia occurs at times. It is a condition in which the antibodies destroy the nuetrophils which are important white blood cells that help fight infection. Children, pregnant women and person under stress will be prone for more serious form of the complications .

Treatment

Laboratory confirmation is important to detect Chikungunya, since the clinical appearance of both chikungunya and dengue are similar. CHIKV is usually diagnosed by blood tests.

There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine available for chikungunya. Each victim had to be given separate treatment based on symptoms. Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may help to ease symptoms of fever and aching. The patients had to take adequate rest and drink plenty of fluids.

from:-http://www.webindia123.com/article/chigunya/chigunya.htm#trea

ok,the reason I'm posting about this is,I have had fever since this last 2days,today, the fever has not as strong as it was before,but still,it show no signs of it will go away just yet.What I'm worried about is,I had a high fever and joint paint,at my knees,elbows,back,and ankles which the symptoms of this epidemic diseases.
Hopefully,what I'm having is not chikungunya and this fever would go away ASAP,coz I have to be in Penang next week for the new sem.There's still a lot to settle,kena sihat cepat.
Amin.