Chikungunya fever is a virus that is spread by arthropods and is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The disease is characterized by high fever and moderate to severe joint pain. There is currently no cure for chikungunya, and the only way to prevent it is to avoid mosquito bites. However, this virus rarely causes serious symptoms and is usually not fatal. To find out how to recognize the symptoms of chikungunya fever, start with Step 1 below.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Knowing the Symptoms
Step 1. Observe for high fever
A high fever is one of the early symptoms of chikungunya, with a body temperature of up to 40 degrees C. The basic fever lasts for 2 days, before stopping suddenly.
Step 2. Observe for joint pain
The typical symptom of chikungunya fever is severe joint pain (or arthritis) in several joints, especially in the limbs.
- In fact, the word chikungunya means "twisting" in the Kimakonde language, which describes the shape of the sufferer's body that bends or bends due to joint pain.
- In most sufferers, the pain will only last for a few days, but in older patients, the joint pain will last longer. In some cases, joint pain can last for weeks, months or even years.
Step 3. Watch for redness of the skin
The skin of people with chikungunya will turn red. This reddened skin can appear as purplish or reddish patches.
Step 4. Watch for any other symptoms
Other symptoms that can occur in people with chikungunya include severe headaches, nausea, muscle aches, fatigue, vomiting, excessive sensitivity to light and partial loss of the ability to taste.
Method 2 of 2: Coping and Preventing Virus Attacks
Step 1. Call your doctor if you suspect that you have chikungunya fever
If you have chikungunya fever, it is very important to contact your doctor, especially if you have a fever.
- Because chikungunya is difficult to diagnose (and often mistaken for dengue fever), your doctor will make a diagnosis based on your symptoms, where you've been and where you've taken your viral culture.
- But there is a way to really know the presence of chikungunya fever, namely through a blood serum or cerebrospinal fluid test in a laboratory. This is not really necessary, as chikungunya rarely causes complications that require laboratory diagnosis.
Step 2. Overcome the symptoms of the virus
There are no antiviral medications specifically designed to treat chikungunya, but your doctor may prescribe medication to help relieve the symptoms.
- For example, fever and joint pain can be relieved with medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and paracetamol. However, you should avoid drugs that contain aspirin.
- Patients with chikungunya are also advised to rest in bed and drink plenty of fluids.
Step 3. Prevent chikungunya by avoiding mosquito bites
There is currently no commercial vaccine available to prevent chikungunya fever. So the only way to prevent this virus is to avoid mosquito bites, especially if you travel to places where this disease occurs frequently, such as Africa, Asia, and parts of India. To prevent mosquito bites, you can:
- Wear long sleeves and long pants when traveling in endemic areas. If possible, soak your clothes in permethrin (a type of insecticide) to repel mosquitoes.
- Use mosquito repellent on exposed skin, especially those containing DEET, IR3535, oil or eucalyptus or icaridin, as these are the most durable and effective.
- Make sure you live in a place that has mosquito nets on the doors and windows. Sleep in a bed with a mosquito net and protect children and the elderly with this net while they are napping.
Tips
- Infected persons should be protected from subsequent mosquito bites during the initial few days of illness. If they are bitten by a mosquito, then the life cycle of the virus will continue and these infected mosquitoes can transmit the disease to others.
- Boost your immune system by drinking liquids rich in beta glucans such as mushrooms. Drinking 3 glasses a day can cure disease and increase your immune system.
- The incubation period of the virus lasts between 2 - 12 days, but normally between 3 - 7 days.
- Laboratory diagnosis of arthropod-borne viruses is usually made by testing blood serum or cerebrospinal fluid for the detection of antibodies that neutralize certain viruses.
- The treatment given is symptomatic, which means that the symptoms of the disease are treated, because the infection itself does not have a cure.
Warning
- Be sure to avoid aspirin during an infection.
- Note that some infected people may experience joint pain or arthritis for weeks or even months.
- There is currently no vaccine or medication to prevent chikungunya virus infection.
