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Sri Lanka Confirms a Mosquito-Borne Chikungunya Viral Fever Epidemic

Health officials in Sri Lanka have confirmed the presence of the mosquito-borne Chikungunya viral fever.

"We have got some samples down to Colombo and we handed them over to five different laboratories. All five have reported it as Chikungunya. You could say it is (an epidemic). We have confirmed there is an outbreak going on in Kalmunai, Mannar, Batticaloa, Puttalam and some parts of Colombo city. It is in densely populated pockets," informed Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, representing the state Epidemiology Department.

Nearly 5,000 patients are suspected to have caught the infection. However, it is thought that only 60 percent of them are to be diagnosed with mosquito-borne Chikungunya viral fever.

"There are several different fevers. Not all fevers reported are Chikungunya," suggested Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe.

Health authorities are now looking for effective measures to prevent the spreading of the disease, which is normally passed on through infected mosquito's bites.

Mosquito-borne Chikungunya viral fever is usually associated symptoms like: fever, headache, low back pain, nausea, vomiting, chills or joint pain. The treatment against the disease requires bed rest and medications like paracetamol, naproxen, acetaminophen and ibuprofen.