RFP Staff
♦ According to the CDC three confirmed chikungunya cases are reported in Alamance, Buncombe and Forsyth counties in North Carolina along with new confirmed cases of in Texas and Massachusetts. The appearance of more chikungunya virus cases in North Carolina is cause for alarm this early in the summer.
Although the chikungunya virus is rarely fatal, it is long lasting, quite painful, and debilitating. No known medication or vaccine exists to prevent infection. The mosquito carrying the virus bites during the daylight hours making the probability of infection far higher than if the carrier mosquito was nocturnal.
It is important get rid of free-standing water at your homes and replace screens with holes in them.
Symptoms of the virus are fever, headache, muscle ache, but the hallmark symptom is joint pain. The word chikungunya means “walking stooped over”. Individuals unfortunate enough to catch the virus may suffer joint pain for many years, so it’s important to avoid the virus altogether.
Previous Rowan Free Press article on Chikungunya virus containing identifying photos of the carrier mosquitos common to Rowan County:
