The Department of Health advised the public Thursday to take precautions against chikungunya, a “dengue-like” disease carried by mosquitoes that affects mainly adults.

 

National Epidemiology Center head Enrique Tayag said chikungunya’s symptoms include acute but long-term arthritis in several joints.

 

“Chikungunya is an African derivation of " that which bends up" to describe patients with acute but long-term arthritis in several joints,” Tayag said on his Twitter account.

 

He said the disease can affect poor or rich communities “since mosquitoes that carry them do not discriminate between the rich or poor.” 

 

Tayag said chikungunya also causes fever and skin rash similar to dengue, but noted that it ”mostly affects adults unlike dengue in which children are mostly affected.

 

The World Health Organization’s March 2008 fact sheet said chikungunya is a viral disease spread by mosquitoes that causes fever and severe joint pain.

 

Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rashes, it said.

 

“The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common. There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms,” it said.

 

It added the proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya.

 

The WHO said the disease occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent though it has recently spread to Europe and the Americas.

 

Signs and symptoms include an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain.

 

“The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually ends within a few days or weeks. Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years. Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints.

"Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death. Often symptoms in infected individuals are mild and the infection may go unrecognized, or be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue occurs,” it said.

 

After the bite of an infected mosquito, illness occurs usually between four and eight days but can range from two to 12 days.

 

“There are no specific drugs to cure the disease. Treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms, including the joint pain. There is no commercial chikungunya vaccine,” the WHO said. — RSJ, GMA News