Chikungunya Outbreak Hit Songkhla With Over 6,300 Patients

[george]

Chikungunya outbreak hit Songkhla with over 6,300 patients

SONGKHLA: -- A total of 6,379 people caught the insect-borne Chikungunya virus since the beginning of this year, a senior public health official said Wednesday.

Doctor Sanphet Ritthiraksa, a specialist on preventive medicine of the Songkhla Public Health Office, said the 6,379 Chikungunya patients were detected from January 1 to April 27.

Their number breakdowns to 3,007 patients in Sabayoi district, 1,387 patients in Sadao district, 328 patients in Thepha district and 314 patients in Nathawee district.

He admitted that it was difficult to control the outbreak because of mosquitoes in rubber plantations and frequent rains in the province.

-- The Nation 2009-04-29

[george]

Chikungunya (from Wikipedia)

Chikungunya (in the Makonde language "that which bends up") virus (CHIKV) is an insect-borne virus, of the genus, Alphavirus, that is transmitted to humans by virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes. there have been recent outbreaks of CHIKV associated with severe morbidity.

CHIKV causes an illness with symptoms similar to dengue fever. CHIKV manifests itself with an acute febrile phase of the illness lasts only two to five days, followed by a prolonged arthralgic disease that affects the joints of the extremities. The pain associated with CHIKV infection of the joints persists for weeks or months.

The incubation period of Chikungunya disease is from two to four days. Symptoms of the disease include a fever up to 40 °C (104 °F), a petechial or maculopapular rash of the trunk and occasionally the limbs, and arthralgia or arthritis affecting multiple joints. Other nonspecific symptoms can include headache, conjunctival infection, and slight photophobia.

Typically, the fever lasts for two days and then ends abruptly. However, other symptoms, namely joint pain, intense headache, insomnia and an extreme degree of prostration last for a variable period; usually for about 5 to 7 days. Patients have complained of joint pains for much longer time periods depending on their age.

-- Wikipedia

[Gonzo the Face]

Chikungunya (from Wikipedia)

Chikungunya (in the Makonde language "that which bends up") virus (CHIKV) is an insect-borne virus, of the genus, Alphavirus, that is transmitted to humans by virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes. there have been recent outbreaks of CHIKV associated with severe morbidity.

CHIKV causes an illness with symptoms similar to dengue fever. CHIKV manifests itself with an acute febrile phase of the illness lasts only two to five days, followed by a prolonged arthralgic disease that affects the joints of the extremities. The pain associated with CHIKV infection of the joints persists for weeks or months.

The incubation period of Chikungunya disease is from two to four days. Symptoms of the disease include a fever up to 40 °C (104 °F), a petechial or maculopapular rash of the trunk and occasionally the limbs, and arthralgia or arthritis affecting multiple joints. Other nonspecific symptoms can include headache, conjunctival infection, and slight photophobia.

Typically, the fever lasts for two days and then ends abruptly. However, other symptoms, namely joint pain, intense headache, insomnia and an extreme degree of prostration last for a variable period; usually for about 5 to 7 days. Patients have complained of joint pains for much longer time periods depending on their age.

-- Wikipedia

George

When you mention trunk, are you meaning trunk as in torso, or just being nicey nice when mentioning that certain part of the anatomy that males have and females don't.

I didn't think about it twice until I saw that you had written "BENDS UP" ......

When suffering from this affliction , a guy, of senior age, may be tempted to say again , "Where have you been all lmy life" Is it just anoher moniker for the "Bent Nail Syndrome"?

Your many fans await your answer

Gonzo

[animatic]

Nasty bugger.

Having just been through a month of Dengue

I feel for all these Chikungunya sufferers big time.

Trunk would be torso yes.

Edited April 29, 2009 by animatic

[sedeflonga]

Humanity is under heavy attack from viruses... I know, it was always, but I think it will be 'The Virus' which will extinguish humanity once and for all.

[kurtgruen]

Humanity is under heavy attack from viruses... I know, it was always, but I think it will be 'The Virus' which will extinguish humanity once and for all.

Probably not, but if it happened, it would sure be good for the animals, plants and most other things on this planet ;-)

[Scott]

Just one more thing to worry about....but wait, I am in BKK. I think I don't have to worry about this one too much.

[animatic]

Just one more thing to worry about....but wait, I am in BKK. I think I don't have to worry about this one too much.

Unless a damp load of rubber or bananas arrives in Bangkok

with a few Aedes stowaways... Oops, there's some stagnant water here.

lets have a drink after the trip. No need waiting on the kids.

[RickBradford]

Kinda puts this 'swine flu' pan-panic into perspective, doesn't it.....

[TPI]

Kinda puts this 'swine flu' pan-panic into perspective, doesn't it.....

Agreed!

How come there is nothing in the media about this, at least every week one would expect a running total and how the government was acting, with the help of the local population, in bringing it under control??

[angiud]

Just to know, what is the thai name for this fever?

[katana]

Just to know, what is the thai name for this fever?

There's several hits on Google referring it to as โรคชิคุนกุนยา, which is just a transliteration of the English name, Chikungunya. Don't know if there's a more colloquial Thai name.

[animatic]

The S word might have been 'slightly' inappropriate,

even as it is used in films for most all ages,

"Austin Powers: the Spy who S..... Me", was the TITLE.

But in my usage, it is where, when and how Aedes mosquitos procreate. < see nice latin word

Which is why I put it in. Which was the whole point of my statement.

Which now is confusing.

The F word and much worse gets said regularly in TVF...

I was trying to make a little levity in an otherwise very tense subject.

While making a valid point about how easily Bangkok could get this bug.

I am SURE that is how I got Dengue fever in March....

Trucks bringing produce brought the bugs too.

Edited April 30, 2009 by animatic

[geriatrickid]

Kinda puts this 'swine flu' pan-panic into perspective, doesn't it.....

Ahh but we don't usually die from the illness itself. It is the complications associated with it. Imagine if you are ill with this beastie and then are exposed to the flu or any other bug. Will you have the strength to fight it off? The human immune system is tough and can take a beating, but if it is under attack on multiple fronts, it starts to weaken rapidly and then the infections rage.

There is a reason why people are dropping dead in Mexico but patients of similar age elsewhere are surviving the new flu strain;

Mexico City residents are more likely than not to have pre existing lung damage due to the air pollution and they live in a thin air environment (2200m elevation) where the lungs have to work even harder to extract and exchange oxygen.

Edited April 30, 2009 by geriatrickid