Acta Medica Medianae (Mar 2011)
A STUDY ON CHIKUNGUNYA CASES IN PALAKKAD, INDIA
Abstract
A study was done on Chikungunya in the Kalpathy village, Palakkad which was moderately affected. The aim of the survey was to understand the nature and magnitude of the Chikungunya fever, the clinical signs and symptoms. A total number of 107 cases was surveyed door to door at six different localities in the Kalpathy village of the Palakkad district. The patient history, clinical signs and symptoms of the Chikungunya cases were recorded. The signs and symptoms recorded were fever, chills, arthalgia, eye pain, headache, edema, rash, oral ulcers, itch, myalgia, sore throat, distaste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, neck pain, hypotension, dermatitis, dizziness and hyperpigmentation. The major symtopms were fever (100%), arthralgia (85.04%),vomiting (32.71%) edema (30.84%), myalgia (28.97%) and chills (28.03%). Significant differences wereobserved in the following symptoms, like eye pain (6.54%), back pain (20.56%), headache (19.62%), rash (13.08%), oral ulcer (1.82%), itch (14.01%), hyperpigmentation (1.89%), sore throat (9.34%), distaste (16.84%), backache (20.56%) diarrhoea (2.82%) and dizziness (3.73%). Chikungunya more severely affected the age group >35 years and the above mentioned symptoms were less commonly seen in the age group 6 months).
