So far almost two thirds of the more than 30,000 cases have been concentrated in the south-central province of San Cristobal, but the hard-to-pronounce chikungunya virus is spreading to other parts of the country. Infected mosquitoes spread the disease that typically causes fever combined with arthritis-like joint pain. There is no vaccine or medication to protect against the disease.
In a TV interview yesterday, Sunday 25 May, Infectologist Clemente Terreno said that seven million of the ten million people living in the Dominican Republic could catch the virus as it makes its way through the country. He said there is no local immunity to the disease, there are no vaccines and it is difficult to stop mosquitoes from breeding here. He said that greater local awareness must be created for people to prevent the mosquitoes from breeding. Terreno was interviewed on Detalle Semanal on Teleradio America Channel 45. He said the virus was spreading and that hospitals were treating between 40 and 50 patients a day.
After being bitten by an infected mosquito, onset of illness usually occurs between four and eight days but this can range from two to 12 days. Treatment is mainly aimed at relieving the symptoms, including joint pain using anti-pyretics, optimal analgesics and fluids.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that basic precautions must be taken by people in high-risk areas, including use of repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants and ensuring rooms are fitted with screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering.
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs327/en/