100,000 infected with Chikungunya

Nadira Gunatilleke

COLOMBO: Over 100,000 persons from all over the country have been diagnosed as Chikungunya patients so far but not a single patient had died, a Health Care and Nutrition Ministry official said.

The spokesman said that continuous rain is the main obstacle to the mosquito control campaign implemented countrywide. The chemicals used to destroy mosquitos is washed away due to rain.

The Health Care and Nutrition Ministry requested the public to keep their home gardens and take all possible steps to prevent mosquito breeding.

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, CMC Pradeep Kariyawasam said that awareness raising programmes has been implemented since last March to educate the public on mosquito control. Arrangements have also been made to purchase new equipment and products to spray chemicals at marshlands, canals and other mosquito breeding sites, he added.

Chikungunya is a disease with a similar clinical picture of Dengue fever.

Both diseases are transmitted by mosquitos. The symptoms include high fever, malaise, lethargy and vomiting for about two weeks after getting infected.

The fever goes away within a few days but weaknesses of the body remains for about two weeks. Fever should be treated with paracetamol while the patient gets adequate rest, he added.