A debilitating sickness from mosquito bites.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A mosquito-borne fever that is prominent in areas of India, particularly Kerala, has made its way to the Caribbean, and is now threatening to make a splash in the US, too.
The chikungunya virus, which is also known as chik-v for short, has hit thousands of residents in the Caribbean islands over the last several months, and there are now at least two dozen cases of the virus in Florida.
Experts are now warning people who travel to and from the Caribbean to take precautions not to get bitten, as the virus can spread rapidly in urban populations, especially during the hot and muggy summer months.
The chik-v virus spreads a disease that, although very rarely lethal, can leave a person who catches it severely debilitated for days, if not weeks, on end. The affliction is characterized by rashes and soreness of the muscles and joints, as well as general fatigue and often abnormally high fevers. The incubation time for the virus can be as long as a full week, so often times those who contract the disease don’t know it for several days.
There are several treatments for the disease, however, which is why healthcare professionals are urging people who think they may have contracted it to see a doctor right away. Although not fatal, the fever and other effects of the virus can make for an incredibly awful experience, and the disease typically last anywhere from 3-5 days in length.
But the best thing to do is simply avoid mosquito bites, and to do that, one needs to be armed with knowledge.
Fox News reports that the type of mosquito that most commonly carries the chik-v virus is active during the day, not at night when people are generally indoors and relatively safe from insects; it’s therefore important to make sure that you have insect repellant, and that you limit the amount of time you spend outdoors if you’re in a mosquito-heavy area.
The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) is already worried that the chik-v virus could turn into the next West Nile scare, but as of now, instances of the disease are low. The summer travel season is expected to complicate things, as families travel to Jamaice, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico for vacations, so the CDC is warning people to be aware of the signs and take precautions against this miserable sickness.