Chikungunya: All Hell

[DB]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=510 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=510 height=20>http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may52006/district165019200654.asp
All?s not well at Bagepalli government hospital
</TD></TR><TR><TD height=5></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top height=20>DH News Service Bagepalli (Kolar dt):
</TD></TR><TR><TD>It is as if the hell has landed at the Government Hospital in the town. The whole hospital is filled by the painful voices of the patients.
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>It is as if the hell has landed at the Government Hospital in the town. The whole hospital is filled by the painful voices of the patients.

Chikungunya, first detected in some people, has spread to thousands now. The root cause of all these problems is the severe lack of drugs and personnel in the hospital.

The number of patients is increasing day after day. But the hospital has no wards. The condition is such that the patients are sleeping on the floor.

But the people?s representatives of the region are keeping silence. The patients who are daily suffering the hospital are raising objections to the ?silence? of the elected representatives. They are worried when they would be freed from the suffering.

Chikungunya was detected at Lagumaddepalli and Yallampalli villages for the first time. But now a number of such cases have been reported from other parts of the taluk. The number of the patients which was 10 at the beginning has now crossed one thousand mark.

The fever, symptom of Chikungunya, was neglected as viral fever in the beginning. The negligence proved costly and it spread its tentacles to scores of people. At least 400 patients arrive at the hospital for treatment everyday. The hospital has only one nurse who is expected to treat them.

Not only this, there are no drugs in the hospital. The relatives of the patients are eagerly awaiting fluid bottles.

The quarrels for beds is a common scene. Cleanliness is far from the scene here. With no adequate facilities for treating, the hospital itself has become hell, the relatives of the patients alleged.

As the number of patients is increasing, they are being made to sleep on floor. There is no one to help them.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Chikungunya: All Hell

terrible news again on this scourge.no media coverage in this country,as the monster never sleeps and their own govt denies ,covers up and more than likely hides in fear themselves.pitifull.time to get more insecticide and screening for me.

 

[mariella]

Re: Chikungunya: All Hell

Am getting La Reunion-flashbacks here, and these poor people arrive at the hospital where there is 1! nurse to look after them and no medication at all...this is so sad.

I always pay a lot of attention to these reports about chicungunya (sorry if I spelled it wrong) because I do not think it is only transmitted by just mosquitos anylonger.
400 new patients daily - don't even want to think about the coming weeks...
And you are right, Treyfish, absolutely no media coverage here also!

Love and Health,
Mariella

 

[eladdie]

Re: Chikungunya: All Hell

Am getting La Reunion-flashbacks here, and these poor people arrive at the hospital where there is 1! nurse to look after them and no medication at all...this is so sad.

I always pay a lot of attention to these reports about chicungunya (sorry if I spelled it wrong) because I do not think it is only transmitted by just mosquitos anylonger.
400 new patients daily - don't even want to think about the coming weeks...
And you are right, Treyfish, absolutely no media coverage here also!

Love and Health,
Mariella

Mariella,

I know that DB has very strong feelings about this...

But I still contend that it isn't h2h, else we would have seen Europe in the grip of a chick pandemic by now from the tourists.

Other vectors? Water borne? Bird Feces? Cockroach? Yeah, that I would believe,

but airborne h2h. No. The European results do not lead to this conclusion.

 

[KC]

Re: Chikungunya: All Hell

With many of the viruses emerging so quickly and becoming more virulent, one must consider all possibilities.

As viruses emerge and mutate, so does the availablity of incidental (dead end) hosts and virus reservoirs.

It is possible that previous "dead end" hosts (humans) are becoming much more viremic. With increased viral loads available in the blood, previously "dead end" hosts then become virus reservoirs as the vector types also expand.

The primary viral host reservoir for Chikungunya is thought to be in primates, originally in various ape species. If Chikungunya has emerged enough to make the human species a primary viral host reservoir, you could possibly say that Chik is now H2H.... by way of a mosquito vector. A couple more viral mutations, it could easily be efficient H2H without an intervening vector.

The increasing virulence of such emerging diseases as Chikungunya and West Nile virus is cause for concern. West Nile Virus has mutated to a point that it is human-to-human in rare, but increasing instances (CDC, 2005).

Todays information about H5N1 in human blood is also a cause for concern... a really big concern for me.

 

[Snowy Owl]

Re: Chikungunya: All Hell

From all the reading I have done from La R?union and from Maurice, if there is not h2h, mosquitoes is not the sole vector IMO.

There where many many cases where there wasno mosquitoes bites.

Some talk about sexually transmisible disease.

I think this possibility has to be considered, but many doctors do not want to talk about it, they have an off problem on their hand now, as they say.

Then, when I look in India, some other vector is focus, and maybe rightly so, it is the water.

Maybe both, blood and water are vectors on top of the mosquitoes.

 

[DB]

Re: Chikungunya: All Hell

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060505054443&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0
122 villages affected by Chikungunya in Chitradurga
Friday May 5 2006 16:06 IST
<SMALL>CHITRADURGA: Official statistics say not less than 10,000 people suffer from chikungunya in Chitradurga district and only 50 percent of them are cured so far.

This viral infection is spread to 122 villages with a talukwise break-up of Chitradurga - 46, Hiriyur - 17, Hosadurga - 13, Holalkere - 24, Molakalmur - 8 and Challakere - 23. Though officials claim chikungunya is well under control, it is spreading like wildfire.

Alarming? Yes. In Government hospitals and private nursing homes one cannot see any other complaint except chikungunya. People are seen complaining of body ache, convulsions, weakness, joint pain and other symptoms familiar to chikungunya.

Doctors say, ?There is no preventive measures for viral infection. Like any other viral problem this chikungunya may go within seven days if no medicine is taken and goes within a week if medicine is taken.? Chikungunya cannot come to healthy people, they say.

In Chitradurga district victims of chikungunya are mostly the poor and lower middle class people. For them chikungunya is not just health hazard but a socio-economic problem since they are unable to go to their work until they completely recover from this problem. Weakness eludes them from taking up their work even after recovering from chikungunya.

Government is still tackling this problem as though it is a health hazard like any other disease. It has not yet understood the seriousness of the problem and its social and economic impact in district.

Government had released Rs 25 lakh to purchase necessary medicine for the district. From this, each taluk has got Rs 1 lakh, each community health centre got Rs 50,000 and each taluk hospital got Rs 1 lakh. Some amount is kept reserved for emergency purposes.

This disease spreads through a day biting mosquito. It breeds on sweet water. Cleanliness is the only and the best solution to avoid this disease. But how can one keep a slum or village clean?

Government had purchased four fogging machines to each taluk. By fogging the insecticide mosquitoes can be controlled. But 25 fogging machines for a district of 15 lakh population are not sufficient, people feel.

Mosquito nets: Director for Health had sent 4,000 mosquito nets to Chitradurga district. These nets are still rotting in the godowns of Taluk Medical Offices. These nets will be supplied to deserving poor living below poverty line only after entomologists from Bangalore come and inspect these nets.

But, one important question is when chikungunya is spread by a day biting mosquito what is the use of mosquito nets during nights? Baffled officials claim these nets are supplied to prevent malaraia.

When chikungunya is spreading the Health Depar tment fights against malaria. Interesting. Isn?t it?</SMALL>

 

[Bruce]

Re: Chikungunya: All Hell

Some talk about sexually transmisible disease.

How bout BF sexually transmissible, this is not meant as humour.

How far north can chik survive, i know mozies can come with the winds from far south to areas they usualy cant live in, but should one at 60 or above latitude start woring about chik with other vectors?