Tuesday, Dr. Florence Guillaume Duperval, the Minister of Public Health and Population (MSPP) has confirmed at a press conference, after analysis by the laboratory Carfa of Trinidad and Tobago, of 17 mosquito specimens collected in Haiti, 14 were positive to chikungunya.

The Minister urged people to be cautious to prevent the disease which is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito. She urged the people to eliminate stagnant water and any element conducive to incubating larvae of this mosquito. "These are the same practices to prevent malaria and dengue fever, it it is necessary to destroy all mosquito breeding sites in their immediate environment and also sleep under a mosquito net," advising people to use, among other smoke eucalyptus to repel mosquitoes.

Dr Marie Guirlène Raymond Charite, Director General of the Ministry informed that a response plan would be developed by the Ministry to control the disease, plan that consists in destroying the place where live and adult mosquitoes by fumigation and make awareness campaigns and communication with the populations.

Remember that this disease is present in several Caribbean countries [including the Dominican Republic] and the Caribbean. To date, Haiti, more than 60 suspects have been identified, mostly in the West Department..

Learn more about chikungunya :

The name chikungunya, of makondée origin, means "that curves, that huddles" or "the man bent disease" because the disease causes very severe joint pain associated with stiffness, which gives infected patients a curved characteristic attitude. Chikungunya (chik) is an infectious disease caused by an arbovirus of the family "Togaviridae" transmitted by mosquitoes. Several species of mosquitoes can transmit chikungunya, but only Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus have so far been identified as epidemic vectors, note that these species are also involved in the transmission of other arboviruses such as: dengue, dengue fever hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, etc...

The first symptoms of the disease (incubation) occur 2-6 days after the person has been infected and starts suddenly with a high fever usually associated with severe joint pain and transient rash. These symptoms are sometimes accompanied by muscle aches, headaches, digestive disorders. Chikungunya is a disabling disease not only because of the pain but also due to fatigue it causes in more than half of the patients. In some patients, the effects, particularly rheumatological, may persist for several months or even several years. There is no effective drug against chikungunya. The treatment of the disease is only symptomatic and relies mainly on the administration of drugs painkillers and anti-inflammatory treatments. Aspirin should be avoided because of the risk of bleeding.

HL/ HaitiLibre