- Chikungunya Virus Now Spread To Malaysia
-
- Source: Berna News, Malaysia
- April 1, 2006
-
- 30 People Infected By Chikungunya In
Perak, Malaysia
-
-
- Chikungunya, a rare mosquitoborne disease,
has struck a village in Perak, and 30 cases have been detected by the Health
Department since 2 weeks ago.
-
- Communicable disease control director
Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat said the Health Ministry's laboratory tests on blood
samples taken from 30 villagers in Panchut, Pantai Remis confirmed that
they had contracted chikungunya, a viral disease which is not life-threatening.
-
- Chikungunya is an urban disease resembling
dengue and is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by an alphavirus
that is spread by mosquito bites from the _Aedes_ mosquito. The name chikungunya
is derived from the Swahili phrase that can be translated as "that
which bends up," referring to the stooped posture that develops as
a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease.
-
- "This is the 1st time that we have
detected a chikungunya outbreak in this country since 1999," Dr Ramlee
said when contacted on Saturday [1 Apr 2006]. The last known outbreak in
Malaysia was in 1999, when 27 people were infected in Port Klang, Selangor.
Chikungunya was 1st described in Tanzania, Africa in 1952.
-
- Dr Ramlee said the Health Ministry was
alerted to the possible outbreak 2 weeks ago, after a general practitioner
(GP) in the area told the Health Department about 30 people who were found
to have symptoms like those of chikungunya infection, such as fever, rashes,
arthritis affecting multiple joints, as well as headache. "Following
that, we went down and conducted a thorough check [in which] we took blood
samples from the villagers and sent them [to] the laboratory [for] tests.
After several tests, it was confirmed that they had chikungunya,"
he said.
-
- He said the ministry believed the outbreak
had occurred much earlier, as some of the villagers had been found to have
similar symptoms but in smaller numbers. "Following the confirmation
of the tests, we have taken action such as fogging, cleaning, as well as
providing health education to the people in the affected villages,"
Dr Ramlee said.
-
- http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=189418
-
- ProMED-mail
-
- The current epidemic of chikungunya in
the Indian Ocean basin, which started at the beginning of 2005, is actually
more serious than expected. Maps of the affected area (the state of Perak,
Malaysia) can be accessed at: http://malaysia.sawadee.com/perak/perak-map.htm,
http://www.hoteltravel.com/malaysia/perak/maps.htm, and http://www.ait.unl.edu/doc2/students/lim/Map.htm.
Perak is along peninsular Malaysia's western coast at the northern approach
to the Strait of Malacca. - Mod.RY
-
-
- CHIKUNGUNYA - CHINA (HONG KONG) - CONFIRMED
-
- A ProMED-mail post
- ProMED-mail is a program of the
- International Society for Infectious
Diseases
-
- From: Julian W Tang
- jwtang49@hotmail.com
- 3-31-6
-
- You will be pleased to know that your
recent postings of the chikungunya outbreaks in Mauritius and Reunion helped
us to diagnose our 1st-ever case of chikungunya in Hong Kong SAR -- which
was almost certainly imported from Mauritius.
-
- A 66 year old Chinese man was seen in
the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) Infectious Diseases clinic on 24 Mar
2006, after returning from a one-week stay in Mauritius. He attended the
clinic the same day he returned to Hong Kong. He had already been ill with
fever, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and a rash for 2 days. He had been
visiting relatives in rural parts of Mauritius (there is a large Chinese
population there) and had been bitten by mosquitoes. The differential diagnosis
was dengue fever in the first instance, but recent postings in ProMED-mail
(see archive numbers: 20051231.3716, 20060121.0202, 20050519.1372) alerted
us to the fact that he may also have contracted chikungunya, so this test
was also requested.
-
- A sample taken from this clinic visit
on day 2 of illness tested positive for chikungunya by polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) and confirmatory sequencing at the Public Health Laboratory
Centre (PHLC). Dengue PCR, IgG and IgM testing were negative at both the
PWH and PHLC diagnostic laboratories. This is the 1st case of chikungunya
diagnosed in Hong Kong SAR.
-
- The clinical presentations of dengue
(a flavivirus) and chikungunya (an alphavirus) are very similar. The primary
mosquito vector [_Aedes aegypti_] for both these viruses can be found in
Hong Kong SAR, where there have been sporadic cases of dengue previously.
In patients presenting with dengue-like illness, with a compatible travel
history, where all dengue testing has proved negative, chikungunya may
now be considered as a possible alternative diagnosis.
-
- Their incubation periods may be similar
(dengue 4-7 days, chikungunya 2-4 days), and both can occasionally give
rise to a more severe haemorrhagic fever, though this is more common with
dengue. With chikungunya, as with dengue, the viraemia is short-lived,
with the virus usually only being detectable for only the first 48 hours
with neutralising antibodies arising by days 5-7.
-
- Chikungunya is endemic in parts of Africa
and South ast Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Burma (Myanmar).
It is likely that some cases in Hong Kong may have been missed, because
until now, the differential diagnosis of chikungunya may have not been
considered. Chikungunya means 'bending up' in Swahili. Interestingly, the
word for dengue also originates from the Swahili word 'dinga', meaning
'break-bone', due to the severe muscle and joint [pains]. This original
Swahili word has been altered by the American Spanish usage (probably in
South America) to 'dengue'.
- _____
-
- Julian Wei-Tze Tang, MA, PhD, MRCP, MRCPath,
FHKCPath
- Assistant Professor,
- Department of Microbiology,
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong,
- Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin,
- New Territories, Hong Kong SAR.
- jwtang49@hotmail.com
-
- Dr. Julian Wei-Tze's informative feedback
on the 1st imported case of CHIK in Hong Kong is indeed greatly appreciated
by ProMED-Mail. ProMED-Digest presents reports on epidemic outbreaks of
timely significance to all communities, including public health authorities
and ordinary subscribers. The purposes of such postings are better management
and understanding of any infectious diseases, either newly emerging and/or
re-emerging, by responsible organizations as well as the population at
large. In the current situation, many imported cases of chikungunya have
been reported from a number of European countries (see also: 20060304.0695).
ProMED has followed chikungunya transmission closely.
-
- For interactive maps of Hong Kong: please
see:
- http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hong+
kong+map&btnG=Google+Search
-
- - Mod.RY
-
- Although the main vector of chikungunya
virus, _Aedes aegypti_, was previously reported in Hong Kong, it is currently
reported to be absent. However, another potential vector, _Aedes albopictus_,
does occur in Hong Kong. This day-biting mosquito breeds in domestic containers
such as water storage pots, discarded tin cans but also in tree holes.
Although transmission is possible in Hong Kong it would depend on whether
breeding sites -- and thus adult mosquitoes -- were near infected people.
- Mod.MS
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases"
message board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
|
