Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus, can lead to severe
brain infection and even death in infants and people over 65, a study
says.
The study showed that the rate of brain
infection, or encephalitis, from the chikungunya virus is higher than
the rate seen in the US due to West Nile virus and similar infections
between 1999 and 2007.
Encephalitis was more likely
to occur in infants and people over age 65. The incidence rate in
infants was 187 per 100,000 people, and 37 per 100,000 people in
above-65 population. Many cases have occurred in the U.S. in people who
acquired the virus while travelling, but the first locally transmitted
case in the US occurred recently in Florida.
The most common symptoms of the infection are fever and joint pain. Most people recover within a week.
Source :- The Hindu, 01-Dec-2015
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