By Dr. J. E. Williams From Renegade Health

Viral infections (like Chikungunya, caused by mosquito bites) are spreading around the world at an alarming rate. Expect more, not less, over the coming decades.

A new virus—no, it’s not Ebola—has come out of Africa and is heading your way.

In just one year from its discovery in the Americas in late 2013, this new disease has sickened 776,000 people in the Caribbean and Central America. The real number of cases is certainly much larger. Now it’s in Florida.

Nearly all fifty states have had cases of this virus, but most were from people who had visited the Caribbean islands. Florida, because of its subtropical climate and proximity to the Caribbean, is the only state so far with locally transmitted cases. Eleven people in Florida who had not traveled outside the state were diagnosed with the disease in 2014, and 356 people in Florida got sick while traveling.

A Serious Infection With A Funny Name

The virus is called “Chikungunya” (pronounced: chik-en-gun-ye), an illness transmitted by the Aedes aegypi and A. albopictus mosquitos. The name comes from an African dialect meaning “bent in two,” because of the severe joint and muscle pain it causes.

Other symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, and body rash. Like the flu, symptoms last about a week. Severe complications are rare, but can include eye inflammation, liver and kidney inflammation, nerve damage, and hemorrhage.

Chikungunya is highly contagious because humans are the primary host. It comes on strong and fast. It can rapidly infect up to 63% of a population. Although it will make you feel like you’re dying, Chikungunya is not usually fatal. Some people have died, however, because Chikungunya and Dengue infections can occur at the same time—the same types of mosquitoes carry them both.

Dengue Fever is a hemorrhagic disease that depletes platelets, which help blood to clot. It causes plasma to leak out of the vessels, leading to dangerously low blood pressure, and sometimes death. Dengue also causes high fever, severe joint pain, and a rash.

Symptoms of Chikungunya:

Sudden high fever usually greater than 102º F

Severe joint pain mostly in the hands and feet

Joint swelling

Back pain

Rash usually starting 2-5 days after onset of fever

Other symptoms like headache, body ache, nausea, vomiting, and redness around the eyes

For some victims, joint pains hang around for months. Many patients have chronic joint and muscle pain, fatigue, and depression lasting weeks, or even years.

Diagnosis is made based on symptoms and recent exposure to mosquito bites. Though blood testing is the only reliable way to confirm Chikungunya infection, simple rapid tests are not yet widely available.

Treatment and Prevention

There is no vaccine or specific medical treatment for Chikungunya. As with all acute viral infections that cause fever, rest and fluids are necessary. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, or paracetamol may help lower fever and reduce joint pain. Aspirin should be avoided.

Natural medicines may help. Cat’s claw (Peruvian Uncaria tomenosa) and boswellia (Boswellia serrata) herbal extracts may help reduce pain and joint swelling, because they have potent anti-inflammatory properties. Homeopathic Eupatorium Perfoliatum and Arnica Montana may be helpful. Artemisinin (Chinese Artemisia annua), a natural antimalarial herbal extract, may also help. Immune boosting supplements like beta glucan that also have antimicrobial properties may be useful.

Helpful Natural Medicines:

Arnica

Artemesinin

Beta Glucan

Boswellia

Cat’s Claw

Eupatorium

The most effect preventive measure is to avoid mosquito bites:

Eliminate standing water around your home

Use mosquito netting or window screens

Apply insect repellant and wear long sleeve shirts and long pants

Viral infections are spreading around the world at an alarming rate. Expect more, not less, over the coming decades. As temperatures rise due to global warming, mosquitoes will thrive. Expect increasing incidence of Chikungunya, as well as Dengue, Yellow Fever, Malaria, and other mosquito borne infections. Learn how to treat viral infections at home with natural medicines.

1. E. WILLIAMS, OMD, FAAIM

Dr. J. E. Williams is a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, longevity, and natural health. Dr. Williams is the author of six books and more than two hundred articles. During his thirty years of practice, Dr. Williams has conducted over 100,000 patient visits. Formerly from San Diego, he now practices in Sarasota, Florida and teaches at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Division of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, NOVA Southeastern University, and Emperor’s College in Los Angeles.

He is also an ethnographer and naturalist. Since 1967, he has lived and worked with indigenous tribes, and spends as much time in the high Andean wilderness and deep Amazonian rainforest as possible. In 2010, he founded AyniGLOBAL, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting indigenous cultures, environments, and intellec¬tual rights. His current work is with the Q’ero people of the Peruvian Andes, where he teaches Earth-based wisdom and heart-centered spirituality.

For more information: www.drjewilliams.com

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drjewilliams

For more on this story go to: http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2014/12/12/chikungunya-disease-sweeps-the-caribbean-moves-into-florida

See also iNews Cayman related story published December 10 2014 “Four more cases of chikungunya in Cayman Islands – total now 41” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/four-more-cases-of-chikungunya/