Chikungunya Response To Be Strengthened By Caribbean Nations, Says PAHO

(CTN News) – There are more cases of Chikungunya in some areas and the Southern Cone is about to enter its peak transmission season in the Americas, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

It is the Aedes mosquito, which is also responsible for spreading dengue and Zika, that is responsible for spreading Chikungunya fever.

There are many symptoms associated with this illness, such as high fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, and nausea.

A vaccine or a specific treatment that has been approved for the disease is not currently available. It can cause severe symptoms and even death in rare cases, mainly among pregnant women, children under the age of one, older adults, and people with other health problems.

According to PAHO’s epidemiological alert released on February 13, over 137,000 cases of the disease will be detected in 2021 and 12 people will die from it.

Despite this increase, more than 95 deaths were reported in 13 countries and territories in the region last year, with most of them occurring in Brazil, where the number of cases almost doubled last year.

In the first four weeks of 2023, there were 30,707 cases of chikungunya, and 14 people died from this disease as a result. In Paraguay, the majority of cases were reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked its member states to continue improving their surveillance, triage, diagnosis, and treatment systems for chikungunya and other mosquito-borne illnesses.

As part of its recommendations, the organization also told countries to improve their health services and prepare for outbreaks.

This was done by making plans for screening, reorganizing services, and strengthening health networks in order to avoid outbreaks.

There are suggestions within the surveillance guidelines for how to do the right kind of sampling and how to set up the laboratory for molecular testing (RT-PCR), taking into account the possibility of other diseases as well.

PAHO also recommends that different types of care be provided to patients at different stages of infection and at different levels of care.

There may be a need for health workers to be trained in diagnosis and case management.

It is best to avoid mosquito bites if you wish to avoid contracting Chikungunya. Working together to reduce and eliminate breeding sites for mosquitoes is the most effective means of preventing transmission.

In the event that a person suspects that they may have Chikungunya, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

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