BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The provincial government of Mountain Province sounded the alarm over the spike of Chikungunya cases in the area.
The Mountain Province Provincial Health Office (PHO) logged about 672 cases of the dengue-like viral infection from January to August this year. There was no record of the disease last year in the province.
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Chikungunya is transmitted to humans through a bite of an infected mosquito, causing excruciating joint pain and swelling. The disease however, is different from dengue, which is also caused by mosquito bites.
Fever as a result of chikungunya typically lasts from three to four days, whereas dengue fever can last anywhere between two to seven days, or longer.
In Chikungunya, an infected person can develop rashes all across the face, palms, feet and limbs. Dengue, meanwhile, can cause rashes that are limited to limbs and face.
Data from the Mountain Province health office showed the Paracelis town tops the list with 658 cases. The cases were detected in the barangays of Bantay, Banana and Butigue.
Meanwhile, 14 cases were recorded in the neighboring town of Natonin.
No Chikungunya-related death was recorded in Mountain Province as of the second week of August.
To avert the further spread of the disease, preventive measures are continuously being taken by health authorities especially in the areas where Chikungunya is spreading, provincial officials said.
The provincial government also advised the residents to be aggressive in doing the "search and destroy" offensive against the breeding ground of mosquitoes. The public is also being encouraged to wear long sleeves, if possible, and apply mosquito repellants, among others.
The World Health Organization has warned that dengue and other diseases caused by mosquito-borne arboviruses were spreading far faster and further amid climate change, adding that global outbreaks could be looming.