Beware of dengue, chikungunya in intermittent rains

Scientists at the government’s disease monitoring arm, IEDCR, have advised people to be aware of dengue and chikungunya as intermittent rains can give rise to those viral diseases borne by common aedes aegypti mosquito.

General awareness is stressed as the aedes mosquito usually breeds in a small collection of clean water in and around houses, such as inside a flower vase.

Intermittent rains see a proliferation of the breeding when water accumulates in different containers around houses.

“We need to be aware of that,” IEDCR Senior Scientific Officer Dr ASM Alamgir told bdnews24.com. “So far we did not find anything to be alarmed. We are getting sporadic cases”.

Primarily a monsoon time virus, dengue is now found round the year. Since Jan 1, the government’s control room has recorded 126 cases in Dhaka. There was no death.

Dr Alamgir said they were also getting “sporadic” Chikungunya cases.

“Both of diseases share common symptoms such as fever, pains. But in Chikungunya the pain is so severe that people cannot move. It involves all the joints. Dengue causes mostly muscle pains,” he said.

It can be misdiagnosed, but both of them have no specific treatment. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.

But he cautioned inappropriate management could be fatal particularly in dengue, advising people not to take medicines other than paracetamol without prescriptions during fever.

Climate change is also seen as an influence of vector-borne diseases such as dengue in the world.