THE çhikungunya is disease viral transmitted through the bite of mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. It was first diagnosed in 1952 in an outbreak that occurred in southern Tanzania. She's a endemic pathology of the African and Asian continents, being the name of this disease derived from an African word that means “those who bend”, an allusion to the appearance of the person affected by the disease.
The first records of patients who contracted chikungunya in Brazil were confirmed by the Ministry of Health in the second half of 2014. Before that date, all confirmed cases were from patients infected while traveling abroad.
Read too:Aedes aegypti — what diseases does this mosquito cause?
What is chikungunya?
chikungunya is a viral disease which causes, among other symptoms, fever and joint pain. It can affect individuals of all sexes and ages, and all people are therefore equally susceptible. However, the severity of the disease is closely related to the presence of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. In pregnant women, there is a report of spontaneous abortion.
Cause of chikungunya
THE chikungunya is an arbovirus (disease caused by arboviruses, which are transmitted by arthropods, such as insects) triggered by a virus of family RNA togaviridae and gender Alphavirus, known as Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). After the first contamination with CHIKV, the patient acquires immunity for the rest of his/her life.
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Chikungunya broadcast
chikungunya is transmitted through the bite of females of the mosquitoes of the genus Aedescontaminated. O Aedes aegypti it's the Aedes albopictus are the main vectors. As mosquitoes proliferate in stagnant water, disease transmission is greater in the rainy months. Usually, symptoms of the disease appear between 2 and 12 days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. The viremia period (presence of the virus in the circulating blood) can last for up to 10 days. It starts two days before the onset of symptoms and can last for about eight days.
Although transmission from mother to baby is rare, it can occur. Vertical transmission, according to the Ministry of Health, occurs almost exclusively in intrapartum of viremic pregnant women, that is, when the woman goes into labor and presents the virus in the blood. The virus is not transmitted during breastfeeding. THE transfusion transmission it can also happen; however, when blood transfusion protocols are adhered to, these risks are reduced.
Read too: water related diseases
Chikungunya symptoms
Among the main symptoms of chikungunya, we can highlight:
High fever;
headache;
muscle and joint pain;
conjunctivitis;
rash;
nausea and vomiting.
Joint pain is usually bilateral, occurring, for example, in the right and left wrist and in the left and right knee. They can be so strong that they can impede the patient's movement. In some cases, some neurological, ocular, cardiovascular, dermatological and renal manifestations, which may be the result of the infection itself, immune responses or due to the drug. Compared to dengue, the lethality of chinkugunya is lower.
Chikungunya phases
Chikungunya can evolve in three stages.
Acute: the first stage of the disease, which starts after the incubation period and lasts for about two weeks (14 days).
Subacute: after the acute phase, the patient may have persistent joint pain, which characterizes the subacute phase, which lasts up to three months. During this phase, the fever usually disappears.
Chronicle: it is reached when the patient remains with symptoms after the three months that characterize the subacute phase. In the chronic phase, persistent joint, musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain is common. The most common symptom of this stage of the disease is persistent joint involvement or relapsing (occurs recurrently), which affects the same affected joints during the acute phase.
Chikungunya diagnosis
To diagnose chikungunya, the doctor will assess the patient's symptoms, such as the presence of fever and joint pain. Confirmation is made after performing some exams, such as the virus isolation, serology and polymerase chain reaction.
Read too: Zika — a disease that has milder symptoms than dengue fever
Chikungunya treatment
As in dengue cases, the treatment includes rest and control of fever and pain.on body through medications such as paracetamol for fever and ibuprofen for pain. It is also essential that the person remains well hydrated throughout the treatment. Is importantdon't use aspirin, as bleeding can occur and the development of a syndrome known as Reye's syndrome.
Some patients experience joint pain for a longer period of time, which can last for up to a year. In these cases, treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs and physiotherapy should be done.
Chikungunya prevention
There is still no vaccine for chikungunya. Therefore, what can be done to prevent the disease is to avoid areas where the mosquito is known to be found and to control the proliferation of these vectors. In addition to preventing this pathology, we help to reduce cases of dengue and Zika in Brazil. As measures to prevent the proliferation of the mosquito, the following stand out:
avoid standing water in places such as containers, gutters and tires;
putting sand in the potted plant dishes;
observe whether plants, such as bromeliads, are accumulating water;
leave the water tank closed;
always leave bottles upside down;
keep drains always clean;
always clean the containers where the water for the animals is placed with a brush or sponge;
do not accumulate garbage in backyards or dispose of them in vacant lots.
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher
