In a follow-up on the Samar chikungunya outbreak, Provincial Health Office (PHO) Samar report the number of suspect chikungunya cases are now at 225- with the highest number of suspected cases with 124, followed by Gandara with 98, and Paranas with three.
To confirm the outbreak, the PHO has sent 12 blood samples—six each from Basey and Gandara—to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for laboratory testing.
In response, the PHO has issued an advisory to all municipalities, particularly Basey, Gandara, and Paranas, urging residents to eliminate stagnant water and other mosquito breeding sites around their homes.
Dengue in the Philippines 2022
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans through by mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus. The mosquitoes involved in transmission are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
The most common symptom is an abrupt onset of fever, often accompanied by joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. Severe joint pain usually lasts a few days but can persist for months or even years. Serious complications are uncommon, but atypical severe cases can cause long-term symptoms and even death, especially in older people and in children under one year old.
There is no vaccine or antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya in the Philippines, while a vaccine is approved in other countries, including the United States.
Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.