Where is chikungunya fever found?
The disease was first recognised in Eastern Africa in the 1950s. The disease is endemic in many parts of the tropics. Outbreaks have occurred in recent years in Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia (e.g. India and Sri Lanka), and the Indian Ocean islands. Closer to home, outbreaks were also reported in Malaysia and Indonesia in 2006. Imported cases of chikungunya fever have also been reported in Europe, US, South America and Asia amongst travellers returning from chikungunya fever affected areas. What is the situation in Singapore? The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been notified of a case of chikungunya fever in January 2008 and subsequent investigations revealed a cluster of cases likely as a result of local transmission of chikungunya fever. All previous cases of chikungunya reported in Singapore were imported i.e. the infection was contracted overseas. A total of 10 such imported cases of chikungunya fever were notified to MOH in 2007. What are the symptoms? The disease is characterise
