Break Your Bones – Mortality and Morbidity Associated with Haiti’s Chikungunya Epidemic. HT: Croft.
In December 2013, chikungunya, a deadly dengue-like virus spread by mosquitos, was first diagnosed in the Americas on the island of St. Martin. The disease quickly spread to neighboring islands and on May 7 the Haitian Ministry of Health confirmed 14 cases. A week later that number had increased to more than 1,500. Within two weeks of its purported arrival, it had risen to more than 5,500 cases. Epidemiologists report that chikungunya is likely to keep spreading.
Although most Caribbean nations were able to control and respond to the outbreak, chikungunya has been merciless in Haiti. Lack of basic infrastructure, poor mosquito control measures, and deep social and economic disparities hampered prevention and treatment efforts.
Shortly after the outbreak was announced, an Igarape Institute-led research team was dispatched to conduct a nationwide survey to determine the risks and protective factors for infection with chikungunya. The Institute has coordinated similar assessments of spread of cholera, food security after the hurricanes, and violence and victimization.
Between May 19 and 30 2014, a total of 2,807 randomly sampled households (accounting for 13,760 individuals) from all ten geographic departments were included in the study, as were 446 randomly sampled tourists departing the Port-au-Prince airport. An additional survey of market conditions was conducted in Port-au-Prince and the seaside town of Jacmel. A qualitative component to the study included five focus groups (ten participants in each group) and 27 in-depth interviews. The qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted in Jacmel and the greater Port-au-Prince area.And here are some of the findings:
•Clear signs of rapid, uncontrolled spread. "The virus had
infected 9.2% of individuals in the study, affecting 14.3% of households
(n=402)."
•Both children and adults are susceptible to the virus:
493 adults (8.6% of all adults) and 767 children (9.6% of all children)
registered symptoms of chikungunya.
• Several statistically significant risk factors: Having a
household member with chikungunya, living in a displaced persons camp, a past
diagnosis of dengue in the household, and rice farming.
• Evidence-based preventive practices not being followed:
Relatively few use treated mosquito nets; open water containers found
outside most rural home, half of urban and peri-urban homes.
• Preference for traditional means of treatment: Some
77.1% of chikungunya victims were treated using traditional medicine, often in
conjunction with biomedical treatment.
• High level of resignation: Over half those surveyed
(52.2%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "even if I spend a lot of
time and money trying to prevent it, I will still get
chikungunya."
Hmmm......'Chikungunya'....Remember this name in coming years you'll be assaulted by it....oce it gets hold in America's wetlands, and i don't mean 'IF' it gets hold.
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