Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Was victim infected overseas?
Bukit Timah resident fell ill three days after trip to Jakarta
By Karen Wong
May 08, 2008
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,164171,00.html
Bukit Timah resident fell ill three days after trip to Jakarta
By Karen Wong
May 08, 2008
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,164171,00.html
EVEN as hand, foot and mouth disease shows no sign of abating, with the number of cases here passing the 10,000 mark, another virus has made a comeback.
A 63-year-old Singapore retiree is suspected to have caught chikungunya when he travelled to Indonesia last month.
The man told The New Paper that he went to Jakarta to play golf and to attend a meeting
Three days after that Jakarta visit, the man became ill while on a flight to Sydney for a holiday.
That was on 11 Apr.
For two days, he stayed in his hotel room, too ill to go out.
'I was in pain and I couldn't sleep,' he told The New Paper, asking that he not be named.
Doctors there took his blood for tests, but could not nail down the virus that plagued him.
His wife, who was with him, decided to cut short their week-long holiday.
They returned to Singapore on 14 Apr.
HOSPITAL TEST DONE
The man was admitted to Singapore General Hospital, where his blood was taken for testing.
Late last week, the blood test results came back: He had chikungunya fever.
He said: 'I believe I got it in Jakarta. On the golf course.'
Chikungunya fever, which is spread by the Aedes mosquito that also transmits dengue, has claimed several lives in India and Reunion Island.
Severe arthritis usually comes with its onset. It is different from dengue as fewer people die from it and the fever is typically shorter, though the joint pain can last for months.
In January, 12 people were struck with chikungunya fever around the Clive Street area in Little India.
One more victim, who lives on Mackenzie Road about 200m away, later caught the illness.
It was the first outbreak of chikungunya here.
The latest victim is recovering at his Oriole Crescent bungalow home, off Dunearn Road.
He said: 'My appetite is now okay, but I have joint aches which are quite troubling and sickening.'
The avid golfer added: 'I can't sit still for a long time.
'If I sit down for too long, my ankles cramp up. There's also some swelling around my joints.'
He said he was told these 'post-viral' symptoms can last for months.
Frustrated, he said: 'I cannot do anything.'
On Monday, he said, officers from the Health Ministry took further blood samples for testing.
Responding to queries from The New Paper, a Health Ministry spokesman said: 'MOH was notified of a suspected case of chikungunya on 2 May.
'The ministry will need to conduct further investigations to confirm the diagnosis.'
Yesterday, National Environment Agency (NEA) inspectors combed the estate around his District 11 home, looking for mosquito breeding spots.
Replying to queries, an NEA spokesman said: 'We were told about the suspected chikungunya case on Monday. Our officers have inspected the immediate surrounding premises.
'A total of three mosquito breedings were detected during our inspections.'
Retiree Kenneth Tan, 66, who lives nearby, said NEA officers had visited his home to check for mosquitoes.
But, he said, he thought it was just a routine inspection for breeding spots.
In the January outbreak, more than 4,400 inspections were carried out by 20 NEA officers and 15 pest control operators - almost three times more than usual.
Seventy-five breeding spots were detected and destroyed.
Before that outbreak, all previous chikungunya fever cases were imported.
There were 10 cases in 2006.
Imported chikungunya fever cases present less cause for alarm.
Still, judging by the careful inspection of the premises within 200-metre radius of Oriole Crescent yesterday, the NEA is not taking any chances.
It usually takes three to seven days for a person infected by the chikungunya virus to fall ill.
Patients can develop symptoms similar to dengue, such as fever, joint pain, chills, nausea, vomiting, headaches and rashes.
Most of the symptoms last only three to 10 days, but the joint pains can go on for weeks or even months.
As with dengue, there is no cure.
Rest is usually the best treatment, combined with medication for fever and pain, and fluids to prevent dehydration.
The disease usually goes away on its own. It is rarely fatal, but deaths have been reported overseas.
Countries that have had chikungunya outbreaks include India, Maldives, Indonesia and Italy.
