Doctor, Doctor...
By Dave Hall
For all you hypochondriacs out there, Dave Hall continues his regular look at a some of the more unusual medical conditions, as well as some you thought you knew all about.
This week: CHIKUNGUNYA.
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Condition – Chikungunya is a pretty rare viral fever, first described in Tanzania in 1952, caused by an alphavirus carried and spread by mosquitoes. The name comes from the Makonde word meaning "that which bends up" because of the stooped posture that patients develop as a result of the disease. Symptoms include high fever, a rash on the limbs and trunk and arthritis of the joints. The fever usually lasts for a couple of days and then comes down abruptly. However, the other symptoms can last for a while longer, usually up to a week.
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Contagion – It is passed on by mosquito bites from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, so if you can steer clear of them, you’ll be ok. Luckily, it’s not a very common disease.
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| Danger of death – Chikungunya is generally not fatal, but it did manage to kill 200 people in 2005-2006 on Réunion island and in India. | |
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Incurability? – There is no specific treatment for the condition and no vaccine available at the moment. Vaccine trials were carried out in 2000, but the money ran out for the project so it was discontinued – great!
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Likelihood of getting time off work – If you come back from holiday with this tongue-twister of a condition, you’ll probably get a few days off for sympathy. Don’t push your luck though.
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| Brag-ability – A good one for the scrapbook if you happen to catch it and survive, although because it sounds a bit like a STD you might want to keep it hush. |
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Overall ridiculousness – Nothing to shout about, but still a nasty little virus, and another notch in the bedpost of mosquitoes everywhere. |
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More conditions to come soon:
Yellow Fever, Donovanosis and more.
Find more curious conditions in Doctor Doctor. If you can't wait for the next Doctor Doctor, then why not find a Phunny Phobia to keep you going?
Photo: Ngari, Norway/Wiki
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