Many moons ago, in late August I believe, I started this blog post on protecting your family against the Chikungunya Virus. This coincided with a time when I also became an anti-mosquito ninja. I knew from the newscasts and word on every street that the disease was supposedly transmitted via mosquito bites and I went on a mission to clear my home of the dreaded terror. Every door boasted a snap shut door mesh; windows remained closed (and JPS enjoyed the light bill increase); our house was sprayed with aerosol anti insect spray in the morning before heading to work and again in the evenings. I stacked up on lemon grass based mosquito body sprays and felt all was in order to safeguard my family from the dreaded Chik V.
It was quite surprising then when my 5 year old started exhibiting symptoms-weak legs, severe pains and a body rash. Almost simultaneously I broke out into a case of extreme swollen nodes while my husband also suffered from pain and the like… My Facebook post at the time details the excruciating ordeal…
It should be noted that a major question was why now? and why the sudden outbreak. Both Drs. Malcom and Mung who facilitated the sessions spoke about the extended drought period and the recent onset of rain as a contributing factor.
Note well too that the first incidence of Chinkungunya in the caribbean dated back to December 2013 with Jamaica’s first episode being noted in July 2014.
View presentation in full screen or use pdf viewer below
Now that you know what needs to be done- go and action it! Seek out the potential breeding spots and make a concerted effort to protect your family.
Cheers!
