Chikungunya - Indian Ocean update (30): spread to UK

International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Source: Reuters.uk, UK, 13 Sep 2006 [edited]
< http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-09-12T231349Z_01_L12753606_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-CHIKUNGUNYA-BRITAIN-DC.XML&archived=False>


Cases of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus in people returning to
Britain from islands in the Indian Ocean have risen dramatically,
public health experts said on Wednesday [13 Sep 2006].

More than 115 travelers have shown symptoms of the illness -- which
causes a high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and muscle and joint
pain -- so far this year [2006], compared to an average of about 6
cases annually.


The Health Protection Agency (HPA), which monitors infectious
diseases, said there has been a rise in cases of the illness in the
Indian Ocean islands, particularly Reunion.

Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the HPA, told its annual
conference in Coventry that cases in mainland India are also increasing.

"Therefore, it is important that travelers to the region follow the
usual health advice on how to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and
other insects," he said in a statement.

French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand said on Monday [11 Sep 2006]
that a drug to fight the disease, which was 1st identified in
Tanzania in 1952, could be ready by the end of the year [2006].

Bertrand added that French and American authorities have agreed to
work on a vaccine that protects against the virus.

The incubation period for the illness can be 2-12 days. Acute fever
can last a couple of weeks. Some patients report debilitating joint
pain, which can continue for weeks or months.

Treatment consists of rest, drinking fluids and taking painkillers,
according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States.

This is yet another example of rapid, long-distance transport of
infected people to countries where a particular pathogenic virus, in
this case chikungunya, is absent. Fortunately, the virus is unlikely
to become established in the UK because the usual mosquito vectors
are absent.