ROSEAU, Dominica – Health authorities say people who have contracted the mosquito-borne disease, chikungunya, should remain home as Dominica recorded more than 31 cases of the disease so far.
Chikungunya is a viral disease that is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito and the island recorded its first case on Jan. 16 this year.
Chief medical officer Dr. David Johnson said, “The numbers keep changing on a daily basis … we have a number of suspected cases and we have a number of confirmed cases. The last count that we have in terms of confirmed cases was 31 cases, and we have other persons who have not been confirmed.
“We’re asking the persons with the disease to remain at home and to use mosquito nets when they are sleeping and other persons to use mosquito repellents as well.”
Johnson added that it was advisable that people take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of spreading the disease.
“We’re asking persons to avoid the spreading of the disease or if they are infected with chikungunya, to ensure that they sleep under a mosquito net that is treated with insecticide,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Health would be sourcing treated mosquito nets for distribution.
Health authorities said the disease has spread to several areas across the island and Johnson said most of the cases could “be managed at home without having to admit them to the hospital”.
He said there was no cause for alarm for the disease whose symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, rash and joint pain.
Acute chikungunya fever typically lasts a few days to a few weeks.
Source: caribbean360.com
