Four out of 10 tests for chikungunya in Fortaleza were positive; See neighborhoods with more cases – Ceará

The mosquito that transmits Chikungunya be with greater reach In Fortaleza: 43.9% of tests for the disease in the first quarter were positive. This is the highest rate in the last four years for this period. There are already 591 cases of the disease in the capital.

This means that four out of 10 tests to identify cases of chikungunya were positive in the first three months of the year. The information is provided in the Epidemiological Bulletin of the Municipal Health Service (SMS) in the capital.

The balance of the period also shows that 473 cases have been canceled and there are still 386 exams under investigation this year.

The SMS service monitors how the chikungunya virus is spreading through Fortaleza: 65 regions have already recorded cases of the disease. It is possible to see on the map that seven sites concentrate 73.2% of cases:

• olive garden
• Jose Walter
• Staff City
• Manipura Park
• Luciano Cavalcanti
• Mondobem
• Ayrton Sina Plateau

Cases of the disease began to grow in January of this year with 19 tests positive. In February, the number rose to 143 cases. The following month, 411 cases of chikungunya were reported. The April 18 segment shows a positive diagnosis, in the update on the 11th.

disease history

Case monitoring shows that even at the beginning of the year, it will also be 2022 already overcome Chikungunya cases in the analyzed period in the last four years (first quarter):

• 2022: 591
• 2021: 184
• 2020: 254
• 2019: 275
• 2018: 584

The first recorded cases of the disease, in Brazil and Ceará, were observed in 2014. Since then, The most important period It occurred in 2016, with 17,791 cases, and 2017 – when there were 61,826 diagnoses.

The two years also focused on the number of deaths: there were 25 deaths in 2016 and 144 in 2017. The last death from chikungunya occurred in 2020, with two people missing from the disease.

Symptoms: from high temperature to severe pain

Chikungunya is manifested with rapid onset high feverSevere pain in the joints of the feet and hands, as well as the fingers, ankles and wrists are a major symptom, according to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fucruz).

Complaints are also common headache, in the muscles and red spots on the skin. Symptoms appear between 2 and 12 days after mosquito bites Aedes aegypti And Aedes albopictus.

Fucruz indicates that it’s not possible Infection with chikungunya more than once, because the patient acquires immunity to the disease. About 30% of cases are asymptomatic, the Foundation estimates.

In an interview with Northeast notesEpidemiologist Luciano Pamplona warned of the dangers of sequelae of the disease.

“In a large part of people, it can become chronic and cause chronic pain for several years. We don’t know if for the rest of our lives, but we do know for at least six or seven years,” he explained.

How do you prevent?

Since there is still no vaccine for chikungunya immunization, the best prevention is to combat its infectious agent.

1. Do, at least once a week, a home inspection in order to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites;
2. make sure that the water tank is closed and that the gutters do not accumulate water;
3. proper cleaning of water tanks and refrigerator trays;
4. Be careful not to let water accumulate under the plant pots;
5. proper cleaning of sinks and toilets, especially in unused places;
6. Do not leave things that accumulate water around the house, such as: tires, bottles, yoghurt cups, plastic bags, etc.;

“It is essential that people understand that 90% of mosquito breeding sites that cause disease are inside people’s homes and in the surrounding areas. So if people take care of their homes, we can reduce the breeding of this vector and their diseases,” warned Luciano Pamplona.