Chikungunya infection in Spain for the first time

Luise Heine has been an editor at since 2012. The qualified biologist studied in Regensburg and Brisbane (Australia) and gained experience as a journalist in television, in the Ratgeber-Verlag and in a print magazine. In addition to her work at , she also writes for children, for example for the Stuttgarter Kinderzeitung, and has her own breakfast blog, “Kuchen zum Frühstück”.

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Chikungunya - that sounds like an exotic tropical disease. So far that was also true. But this is the first time that a patient in Spain has become infected with the pathogen. What is the Chikungunya virus and should it be feared?

Chikungunya fever is triggered by alpha viruses. Originally, Chikungunya is mainly based in Africa and Asia, but in recent years it has spread rapidly across America - the Dominican Republic, for example, is a hotspot. This is also the reason why the number of long-distance travelers who come home with this unwanted travel souvenir is increasing.

Virus taxi is already there

But apparently such long journeys are no longer necessary. Now, for the first time, a man has been infected with the pathogen in his home country Spain, reports the Center for Travel Medicine (CRM). Because there is also the virus “taxi”, the tiger mosquito. This type of mosquito is also native to many European countries. In Germany, too, it is now repeatedly proven at individual locations. So far this has not been a problem because the pathogen was missing in this country. "The current case shows again that the transmission of Chikungunya fever is also possible in Europe", says Professor Tomas Jelinek, scientific director of the CRM.

As early as 2007, for example, there was a local outbreak in northern Italy, in which a total of 200 people fell ill; an infected traveler was considered to be the origin of the disease.

Swollen ankles

Chikungunya fever causes essentially the same symptoms as dengue fever. This means that those affected suffer from, among other things, a high fever, headache, skin rash and unpleasant muscle or joint pain. The wrists and ankles in particular are swollen and sensitive to touch. In extreme cases, internal bleeding can occur. Even so, the prognosis for Chikungunya is usually good. When it does, it is especially dangerous for high-risk patients, for example infants or people with weakened immune systems. Complications such as liver or heart muscle inflammation are possible here.

Don't get stung

So far there is no drug that can protect against the virus or speed up its treatment. That is why prevention is the best protection. In the case of chikungunya viruses, this meant not being bitten by mosquitos in the first place. "Travelers to warm areas should therefore ensure comprehensive mosquito protection, both during the day and at night," recommends Jelinek. This includes, on the one hand, the use of mosquito repellants, so-called repellents. These are most effective when they contain the substance DEET (Diethyl-m-Tolumaid). Mosquito nets on the windows and ideally over the bed are also advisable.

Source: Press release from the Center for Travel Medicine (accessed: 08/10/2015)

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