Re: Chikungunya map
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td>Outbreak Notice<!-- InstanceEndEditable -->
<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="Notice SubHeader" -->Chikungunya Fever in India<!-- InstanceEndEditable -->
This information is current as of today, <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript"><!-- var calendarDate = getCalendarDate(); var clockTime = getClockTime(); document.write(calendarDate); document.write(', '); document.write(clockTime); //--></script>April 24, 2006, 05:36:10 AM
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Released: April 21, 2006<!-- InstanceEndEditable -->
<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="Notice Content" --> Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected
Aedes and
Culex mosquitoes including the daytime-biting
Aedes aegypti and
Ae. albopictus species. Symptoms can include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain with or without swelling, low back pain, and rash. The symptoms are very similar to those of dengue but, unlike dengue, there is no hemorrhagic or shock syndrome form. This disease is almost always self-limited and rarely fatal. In addition to ongoing outbreaks on the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte, Mauritius, R?union (territory of France), and the Seychelles, a chikungunya fever outbreak has been reported from three states in India (Karnataka, Maharastra, and Andra Pradesh). Travelers to all these areas are recommended to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Prevention Measures
There are no preventive medications or FDA-approved vaccines for chikungunya fever, but there are steps travelers can take to reduce their risk of being bitten by infected mosquitoes.
- Use insect repellent on exposed skin surfaces when outdoors, particularly during the day.
- Repellents containing 30% to 50% DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) are recommended. Lower concentrations of DEET offer shorter-term protection requiring more frequent reapplication.
- Repellents containing picaridin are available in the U.S. only in low-concentration (7%) formulations, which require frequent reapplication. Repellents with higher concentration formulations of picaridin may be available in some regions outside the U.S.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
- Clothing may also be sprayed with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent for greater protection.
- Stay in hotels or resorts that are well screened or air-conditioned and that take measures to reduce the mosquito population, where possible.
- Reduce Aedes breeding sites by emptying standing water that may have collected in containers (e.g., uncovered barrels, flower vases, or cisterns) and either overturning the vessels or covering the opening.
- If illness develops, stay under a mosquito net or indoors to limit mosquito bites and to avoid further spread of infection.
These preventive measures are the same steps that one would take to reduce the risk of other mosquito transmitted infectious diseases such as dengue and yellow fever.
Treatment
No specific drug treatment against chikungunya virus is available; thus, treatment of chikungunya fever is supportive: bed rest, fluids, and mild pain medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, or paracetamol may relieve symptoms of fever and aching. Because aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding and possibly
Reye syndrome, it should be avoided during the acute stages of the illness. Few cases are severe enough to warrant hospitalization. All persons with chikungunya fever should be protected against additional mosquito bites to reduce the risk of further transmission of the virus.
For more information about chikungunya fever, see
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Chikungunya/chickvfact.htm.
For more information on protection from mosquitoes, including repellents, see "
Protection against Mosquitoes and Other Arthropods" in
Health Information for International Travel.
Other Mosquito-related Diseases
This outbreak highlights the risk that travelers to tropical and subtropical areas of the world may encounter for contracting diseases transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes, such as
dengue,
malaria,
Japanese encephalitis, and
yellow fever, and others.
In addition to the mosquito bite prevention measures listed above, medications are available for prevention of malaria infection that can greatly reduce the risk of infection (
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/malariadrugs.htm). Vaccines are available to prevent yellow fever (
http://www2.ncid.cdc.gov/travel/yellowfever/) and Japanese encephalitis.
Additional Information
For more information about chikungunya fever outbreaks on Indian Ocean Islands, see
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_03_17/en/index.html. For more information about diseases transmitted by bites from infected mosquitoes, see
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Date: <!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="DateStamp" -->April 21, 2006<!-- InstanceEndEditable --></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="std-txt-contentsource">
Content Source: National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/2006/chikungunya_india.htm
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