Painful mosquito-borne virus on the rise in India, health officials warn

A rare mosquito-borne virus that can causean extremely painful, debilitating illness is making a comeback in parts of India and the southwest Indian Ocean, say Canadian health officials who are warning people planning to travel to the region.

"We have recognized, at the moment, four confirmed cases of Canadians who have histories of travels to the Indian Ocean area and have come back and been confirmed by antibody testing to have chikungunya," said Harvey Artsob,director of zoonotic diseases at the Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

In recent months,chikungunya virus has spread from Madagascar and several other islands in the southwest Indian Ocean to the Indian mainland, where hundreds of thousands have been infected.

In some areas, one-third of the population is showing symptoms: Theyinclude sudden fever followed by a crippling pain in the joints that can cause patients to curl up. Chikungunya is Swahili for "one who walks bent over."

There is no vaccine or treatment other than painkillers. Chikungunya is rarely fatal, but it has the potential to temporarily incapacitate.

"If you get a quarter or a third of the population infected, it's potentially catastrophic, not only for health care, but also for workforce implications," said Dr. Kevin Kain, a tropical disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital.

Two species of mosquito transmit the virus. The species aren't native to Canada but they do live in the southern United States.

"There is a possibility that this virus could spread and become a problem in other parts of the world, for example parts in the Americas' more tropical areas," Artsob said.

People who return to Canada with the virus are not a threat to others, health officials note.

They advise anyone planning to travel to the affected areas to protect themselves by wearing long-sleeved clothing and putting mosquito-repelling DEET on exposed skin.