Fever threatens tourism, trade

       Chikungunya fever could have a huge impact on regional trade and tourism if it is not stopped, a World Health Organisation expert warns.
       Steven Bjorge, technical officer of malaria and vector-borne diseases at WHO's Southeast Asia Regional Office, told a technical meeting on the virus there was a hypothetical risk not just to public health but also to regional tourism and the economic sector.
       "Chikungunya, in fact, is considered a minor health problem and less important because of the low mortality rate," he said."It should be regarded as being equally as disastrous as dengue.
       "There is an increasing frequency of outbreaks now and more to be expected in the future."
       Scientists and researchers from WHO and countries reporting outbreaks of the infectious disease, such as India,Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand, held a three-day discussion to review the situ-ation and seek new strategies to combat the spread of the disease.
       Asia is the epicentre of the reemergence of the disease with climate,environment and rapid global transport being conducive to its transmission.Outbreaks have been reported in India,Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka but no substantial statistics of infections have been reported to WHO.
       In Thailand, Chikungunya has spread to 51 provinces, particularly in the South,since January.An estimated 38,275 people have been infected with the disease.The southern province of Narathiwat reported the highest number of infections at 7,780. No deaths have been reported,the Public Health Ministry said.
       Mr Bjorge said the re-emergence of the disease in rural areas after a long absence had raised questions among experts on vector-borne diseases as to whether it had mutated and developed into a more dangerous strain.
       The virus is related to East, Central and South African strains that emerged in the Indian Ocean region in 2005 and spreads more easily and rapidly than the Asian viral strain which previously was dormant in the region.
       Experts in vector-borne diseases believed climate change might affect the life cycle of mosquitoes, enabling them to produce a minimum infective dose of dengue or Chikungunya viruses faster than before. Chikungunya is not life threatening and occurs among adults more than children, unlike dengue fever.However patients might experience persistent joint and muscle pain for up to a year or more which can affect their way of life since there is no specific drug treatment or vaccines available.
       Prapon Tungsrikertikul, deputy chief of the Disease Control Department, said provincial staff and health volunteers had been sent to southern provinces to spray rubber plantations with chemicals that kill urban and garden-striped mosquitoes and larvae in water sources and rubber plants, which are regarded as ideal breeding grounds.