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chikungunya

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Dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, are transmitted by their common vector, Aedes, which is found mostly in tropical regions.  The virus is found in the salivary gland of the mosquito and can be transferred to humans when an infected mosquito bites.

There are a number of climatic and environmental factors influencing the transmission and dynamics of transmission, such as the immunity factor in humans and the interaction between the pathogen and the host.

Dengue, chikungunya and Zika, all of them have common symptoms that make it difficult to diagnose it. Zika, chikungunya and dengue viruses share the same mosquito vector. Their symptoms and signs are also similar, which makes it indistinguishable even in the clinical grounds. Nevertheless, there are a few differences which can help in differentiating the diseases and prevent any kind of misdiagnoses. Caripill dosage is given to patients for immediate relief. The medicine is made from papaya leaf extracts, and it does not have any side effects.

The symptoms of Chikungunya can confuse anyone with the critical phase of dengue, and this often leads to misdiagnosis. Commonly, the symptoms include a rash, fever, joint, and muscle pain. As of now, there is no particular vaccine that curbs the disease and that is why treatment is directed towards reducing the symptoms.

Furthermore, with a diagnostic test, the complications can be prevented, managed and the complications can be reduced.

For instance, dengue-infected patients need to be checked for hemorrhagic fever. And chikungunya patients should be checked and treated for post-infectious chronic arthritis and acute arthralgia. And for Zika virus infection needs special care as it can result into birth defects during pregnancy.

Simply put, Dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses can cause serious health issues with almost similar clinical images. And it requires specific treatment to manage the patient and the complications resulting from the disease.

However, a misdiagnosis can have a huge effect on the overall treatment, how the signs and symptoms are relieved and can result in serious complications.

Misdiagnosis can be prevented with the help of the diagnostic procedures. However, if you are aware of the underlying symptoms of all the three diseases, it might help in the correct diagnoses of the disease.

Let’s have a look at the symptoms of all the three diseases to make it easier for you to comprehend on your own.

Symptoms of Chikungunya

Chikungunya is widespread is the majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. The symptoms of chikungunya can show up between 3 and 7 days of being bitten by the mosquito.

How to Know If You Have Chikungunya?

Some of the common symptoms include-

  • High temperature/fever
  • Acute joint pain on feet, hands, wrists, ankles, and feet in most of the cases

In some cases, people recover fully. Whereas in some cases, the joint pain can last for weeks and months and even 3 years, depending on the condition of the disease.

Major Symptoms of Chikungunya

  • A persistent headache
  • Severe back pain
  • Muscular pain
  • Maculopapular rashes on the skin (in the initial 48 hours, mainly on the hands, feet, and trunk)

Sometimes, Chikungunya might result in the following symptoms

  • Fatigue
  • Swelling
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Vomit/ Nausea
  • A sore throat
  • Photophobia

Chikungunya is not considered as a fatal disease, but sometimes it can result into serious complications in children, elderly people and people with lower immunity.

How to Know Zika Virus Disease Symptoms?

As per the WHO reports, the incubation period of Zika virus disease is approximately between 3 and 14 days.

In most of the cases, infected people do not get any symptoms. However, some of the common signs are muscle pain, rash, fever, and headache lasting from more than 2 to 7 days.

Pregnant women infected with Zika virus need immediate medical treatment to avoid any complications in the baby within the womb.

Some of the common symptoms of Zika virus infection include:

  • Arthralgia
  • Fatigue
  • Low-grade fever
  • A headache
  • Maculopapular skin rash on face and spreading on the body
  • Itching
  • Mild joint pain ( in some cases it can extend to more than a month)
  • Red eyes

Sometimes, the disease might result in the following symptoms

  • Guillain-Barré
  • Muscular pain
  • Swelling (hands, feet, and legs)
  • Gastro-intestinal problems such as diarrhea and vomit
  • Retro-orbital pain behind the eyes
  • A sore throat
  • Ganglion cysts

The symptoms of Zika virus are usually mild and most of the patients recover fully without any major complications.

How to Detect Dengue Fever?

It is a viral infection that is transmitted by a mosquito bite (infected mosquito). The infections can result in minor and major symptoms. If not diagnosed and treated properly, it can be fatal also.

Proper diagnosis is important to prevent deaths. As per the WHO reports, almost half of the world’s population is vulnerable to this disease. Approximately, 5 lakh people with severe dengue symptoms require hospitalization every year. And, it results in 2.5% deaths out of all the cases every year.

The period of incubation ranges between 3 and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

 Some of the common symptoms include:

  • High fever
  • Itching
  • A severe headache
  • Pain in joints
  • Severe muscular pain
  • Reduced white cell counts
  • Retro-orbital pain behind the eyes
  • Fatigue
  • Skin maculopapular rash (prominent after 2 to 5 days of fever)
  • Weakness
  • Nausea
  • Loss of taste and appetite

Sometimes, dengue might result in the following symptoms-

  • Bleeding from gums and nose
  • Vomiting
  • Dizziness
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Abdominal pain
  • Bad temper
  • Somnolence
  • Hypotension
  • Vomiting blood

Mild symptoms of dengue can sometimes be mistaken with a viral infection and common flu. People with low immunity and believed to be at a higher risk of developing dengue hemorrhagic fever. It is a rare condition resulting in hemorrhage bleeding, and even shock and death within 24 hours. It is called dengue shock syndrome).

In a Nutshell!

It is important to diagnose Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya as there is no particular cure for these diseases.  It depends on the patient’s immune system and how he is able to fight the symptoms.

Timely diagnosis and the right treatment can helps to relive the symptoms.

There is no commercial vaccine for these infections. Any exposure to mosquitos should be avoided in the initial days of catching the infection. It will avoid spreading it further to other people. And, do not attempt to treat the disease with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin as it will increase the risk of the hemorrhagic syndrome.
If you feel any of the above-mentioned symptoms, you must seek medical help.

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Thousands of people in Carribean hospitals are the victims of a virus with a long and unfamiliar name that has been spread rapidly by mosquitoes across the islands after the first locally transmitted case was confirmed in December.

They suffer searing headaches, a burning fever and so much pain in their joints they can barely walk or use their hands. It’s like having a terrible flu combined with an abrupt case of arthritis.

The virus is chikungunya, derived from an African word that loosely translates as “contorted with pain”. People encountering it in the Caribbean for the first time say the description is fitting. While the virus is rarely fatal it is extremely debilitating.

Outbreaks of the virus have long made people miserable in Africa and Asia. But it is new to the Caribbean, with the first locally transmitted case documented in December in French St. Martin, likely brought in by an infected air traveler. Health officials are now working feverishly to educate the public about the illness, knock down the mosquito population, and deal with an onslaught of cases.

Authorities are attempting to control mosquitoes throughout the Caribbean, from dense urban neighborhoods to beach resorts. There have been no confirmed cases of local transmission of chikungunya on the US mainland, but experts say the high number of travelers to the region means that could change as early as this summer.

Chikungunya virus is spread by two species of mosquitoes, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus

Chikungunya virus is spread by two species of mosquitoes, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus

So far, there are no signs the virus is keeping visitors away though some Caribbean officials warn it might if it is not controlled.

“We need to come together and deal with this disease,” said Dominica Tourism Minister Ian Douglas.

The Pan American Health Organization reports more than 55,000 suspected and confirmed cases since December throughout the islands. It has also reached French Guiana, the first confirmed transmission on the South American mainland.

“It’s building up like a snowball because of the constant movement of people,” said Jacqueline Medina, a specialist at the Instituto Technologico university in the Dominican Republic, where some hospitals report more than 100 new cases per day.

Chikungunya was identified in Africa in 1953 and is found throughout the tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere. It is spread by two species of mosquitoes, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus. It’s also a traveler-borne virus under the right circumstances.

It can spread to a new area if someone has it circulating in their system during a relatively short period of time, roughly 2-3 days before the onset of symptoms to 5 days after, and then arrives to an area with the right kind of mosquitoes.

For years, there have been sporadic cases of travelers diagnosed with chikungunya but without local transmission.

The two species of mosquitoes that spread chikungunya are found in the southern and eastern US and the first local transmissions could occur this summer given the large number of American travelers to the Caribbean.

Already, the Florida Department of Health has reported at least four imported cases from travelers to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Dominica.

Around the Caribbean, local authorities have been spraying fogs of pesticides and urging people to remove standing pools of water where mosquitoes breed.

An estimated 60-90% of those infected show symptoms, compared to around 20% for dengue, which is common in the region. There is no vaccine and the only cure is treatment for the pain and fluid loss.

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