Talk:Chikungunya

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[edit] Initial comments

"I was doing voluntary work near Tenkassi,TamilNadu, India in June/July of this year and was affected by Chikungunya. I was struck suddenly by a high fever, headache and aching joints but it only lasted for about 48 hrs. I took lots of Citracidal (concentrated grapefruit seed extract) with water, this can be purchased in health food shops globally. I strongly believe this helped as my syptoms were not as servere as in others in the village and did not come back. I advice anybody going to the region to take this with them. Paracetemol also helped reduce the fever. Prevention to bites is the best form of defence. I wish to urge anyone planning a trip to an affected area to help in any form of social work not let this virus cause them to cancel their trip. local people are having to deal with this on-going and largely un-reported virus on a daily basis and need help and support. Typicaly they will not be getting this from their government." Jago Neal. 5.10.06 222.155.19.217 08:52, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

'Insisting on the terms "relatively rare" and on the section on prevention which only has the statement "neem" does not improve the article. Look, just the presence of the neem tree does not prevent mosquito-borne diseases, ok? An appropriate prevention section would talk about quarantine and the need for mosquito netting and campaigns against mosquito breeding and so on. As it was written, the text (that I removed) does not stand on it's own - an appropriate section needs more fleshing out and may well include the use of neem. Alex.tan 03:28, 1 February 2006 (UTC)'


[edit] NNDB ??

What the heck is NNDB, "insect repellent containing NNDB, DEET"?? In this context, it's surely not the "Notable Names Database" [1].... mendicott.com 01:35, 15 October 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Removed advertising

I removed a piece of blatant advertising by User:Bajaj, whose only contributions seem to be repeatedly shilling a product called "ArmyWear" on Wikipedia. Kolbasz 22:46, 6 July 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Huge Outbreak In Kerala[Pathanamthitta ,Kottayam,Allapuzha] 2007 may

Many r suffering with it..some have different symptoms.The old are affected early.Homeopathic is much effective than others with seen experience.But itz out of control each day thousants are infected and many are dyeing

[edit] comment

This was previously posted on the articles page...--Steven Fruitsmaak 18:31, 25 May 2006 (UTC) " Vague method of PREVENTING chickugunya fever. I am a doctor working in Gadag in the state of karnataka India. I felt like sharing this funny method of preventing chikungunya. Here people are tying camphor in a piece of cloth and this is put like a garland around the neck of people of all ages especially kids. the logic is that camphor repels mosquitoes and thus by preventing mosquitoe bites one can prevent the chikungunya fever. But if at all there is any scientific logic in this method I would be very much interested to know but I really doubt. The disease is so widespread that these areas may feel a acute shortage of camphor in the market!!!!!?? Dr. Y.M.Kabadi MD. DNB(Obstetrics and Gynaecology) "

[edit] comment

I'm from Hyderabad, India. There is a severe outbreak of Chikungunia in our city and almost every household is affected. It is found that homeopathic medicine Eupatorium Perf in 200c is helpful in preventing this viral infection. After using this preventive remedy, even if someone gets the fever it is likely to be less severe. - Shiv Asthana, Rxhomeo, Inc [2] Comment. Im a medical doctor working in Goverment Services, the news published in news papers and in visual medias are not correct and its biased. The alternative medicines unfortunatly have no secintific basis. When you say something on the treatment of a particular disease, should not be based up on your "single" personal experiances.

[edit] Outbreak in Maharashtra

I have just recived news from my parents saying that there is a severe outbreak of this disease in their place (Amravati), also a friend of mine has recently been infected and she stays in Jalgaon. Are any other areas reporting fresh outbreaks?08:02, 12 September 2006 (UTC)~Neha

[edit] Spellings

I just added 5 more redirects to this page - there are multiple spellings out there, and it was very hard to find this article, even through google. There were already 11 redirects here, which shows how irregular the spelling is! There was also one orphaned article - chikun guniya - which I merged into this one. If anyone comes across any other alternate spellings, please redirect them here. Bruxism 21:42, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Clean up guy

Hey, I've been cleaning up the article. I will continue my clean up tomorrow. If anyone is interested please improve the layout of the Chikungunya Outbreak of 2004-Present article. Lestat 17:59, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Vector and Treatment

It looks like this page has been revised in a major way that significantly reduced the quality of the content. 1) CHIKV has always been able to be transmitted by mosquitos other than A. aegypti. A. albopictus is a more efficient vector. 2) The article now seems to support the same type of entrepreneurs who recommend yoga and/or herbs to "cure" CHIKV infections. 3) Chloroquine has extremely dangerous side effects. The French government did not "recommend" it; it merely stated it appears to be somewhat effective against arthralgia. There are only two studies on chloroquine's off-label use for CHIKV, a South African and an Italian. The study by Savarino et al. did not add "credence" to a claim; there had already been a study. 4) arthralgia and arthritis are not the same. 5) "conjunctival infection" is called conjunctivitis. 6) Serological tests are available in most countries!!!


[edit] Homeopathic Alternatives

Hello, Malangali, I see that you have entirely lopped of my section on Effective Homeopathic Alternatives. May I ask, haven't you heard of homeopathy before. In it not practiced in your part of the world? If not, be informed that homeopathy is a viable alternative to 'allopathic' alternatives. Its not chimpanzees paw boiled in cow urine kind of therapy. Its a system of medicine that was founded in Germany, found its feet in the United States and practiced as we speak in the UK. So, get familiar with it. Besides, Chikungunya is no longer an African disease. It hit India last year and badly too. I have personal experience of the epidemic. And, what I have put done there, while in may not be poetic in its meter, its valuable stuff. I would like you permission to put it back there. Please revert back to me with your reasonable objections. And, ah yes, I do not want to hear your warped interpretation of NPOV. Removing it, on the contrary reflects a biased POV. I hate to break it to you, but we are moving back. That's right. The whole world is desperately seeking alternative therapies. Homeopath 17:02, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Hi Homeopath,
Please become familiar with the purpose and style of Wikipedia articles. The edits you have made to the Chikungunya article are inappropriate in the form that you have submitted them. Please read articles about NPOV (no point of view), proper sources, and making sure that the content of each article is relevant to THAT article.
There is a place to note that certain homeopathic approaches to Chikungunya treatment are being considered as an alternative to biomedicine. However, that is a ONE SENTENCE addition to the article, not a several paragraph ramble about homeopathy in general. Malangali 11:14, 15 March 2007 (UTC)
Hello, Malangali, Homeopathy is a viable form of medicine practiced all over the world. And, in the case of chikungunya, it does offer a viable alternative. Allopaths on the other hand, have no cure. But forget all that. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Why should the encyclopedia not contain an alternative ideology? Besides, Wikipedia is not the allopath’s private medical journal. And, you are not their sales representative. Homeopath 16:00, 15 March 2007 (UTC)
I have no issue with homeopathy versus biomedicine. The issue is with a good encyclopedic article versus an article that veers off topic and away from solid research. If you want to include reference to homeopathic approaches to treatment of chikungunya, sourced with reputable studies, go ahead and do it in a sentence or two - I certainly will not stand in your way.
The insistence on reputable studies, by the way, does not make one an apologist for the biomedical establishment. The issue of whether to use chemical treatments devised in a sterile lab, etc (biomedicine, more or less) is completely different from the issue of scientific method, in which a treatment is subject to testing against a placebo or other alternatives and the results are compared according to a clear set of criteria and can be replicated. Generally speaking, studies that adhere to the scientific method can survive the process of peer review, which means that others knowledgeable in the field inspect the study for accuracy and potential flaws in reasoning or methodology. You can have a perfectly scientific study of a homeopathic treatment, which would serve as an excellent source for an article in Wikipedia. The reason I have reverted your submission is because you have failed to provide a succinct synopsis of scientific (not synonymous with allopathic) research that would be relevant to the topic. Malangali 20:28, 15 March 2007 (UTC)
Okay, I can see where you are going with ‘peer-rear-viewing,’ ‘placebo,’ ‘scientific methodology,’ nonsense. It’s really is a joke. This indeed is the rug you pull out to trip a blissful alternative thinker!

Well, top of the mind response: Hmm, let me see now, allopathy having presumably jumped thought this hoop, still hasn’t been able to give us a cure for chikungunya, right? So, all the more reason to chuck it!

Considered response: and I hope you have the intellectual integrity to appreciate it. The testing methodology that you have outlined is irrelevant because we are dealing with a system of medicine that is inconceivable in its action, and therefore outside the purview of modern science and its methodology. I would have used the word ‘mystical’ here, but I don’t want to spook you.

But guess what M, the human body mends itself in a mystical manner. Indeed, it too is a process that is very much outside the purview of modern science. Sure, you may have your theories, but no one really knows how the body mends itself. That’s why the whole think is an experimental science. You apply a bit of chemical, poke it with a lance, prod it with electricity, and lo and behold, it begins to work! And that’s exactly how homeopaths too decide on the efficacy of its medicine. So, get off your high horse.

But, you may still ask, why is it that homeopathy miserably fails in a placebo test, and is so notorious when it comes to repeatability? The answer to that is: allopathy is gross science. You overwhelm the body with huge quantities of chemicals, and sure you get repeatable results. Homeopathy, on the other hand, is a subtle science that needs the gentle hands of a homeopath to coax or effect a cure. To make up for this deficiency, it offers hugely cost effective treatment and one that has no-side effects. And that's something a lot of people are increasingly seeking.

I am not a homeopath and have nothing to gain by pushing homeopathy. All I see is an alternative, Old World science that is sustainable and subtle in its approach. Oh, how I love such things! I cannot stand to see some crass, insensitive individual willingly trample upon it a misguided show of solidarity with modern-day or big business ideologies. Why do you do it, man? Is somebody paying you to toe their line? Indeed, such individuals really have no business on the Wikipedia, which as far as I see, is alternative thinking at its best.Homeopath 14:59, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Homeopath, I have very patiently explained to you why the incoherent several paragraphs you want inserted in the Chikungunya article were not up to the standards necessary for inclusion in a 3 paragraph summary of treatments in an encyclopedia article, and I have made suggestions to you about how you can revise your submission in such a way that it would be appropriate. You have responded with wildly off-base personal attacks that violate one of the basic principles of Wikipedia, assume good faith. I'm done talking with you now. Bye bye! Malangali 15:11, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Jargon

This article contains accepted medically descriptive terms for the specific signs and symptoms of an identifiable disease. They are cross-referenced where applicable. This article describes a process of illness: treatments, epidemiology, contagion. A layperson with sufficient interest and grasp of English should have no problems understanding the article. POV-pushers, purveyors of quack nostrums, proponents of dumbing-down and disappointed seekers of gruesome pictures and descriptions may have problems with this article entirely. That is no reason to tag it, especially seeing as not one arguement claiming such as been posted on this talk page. Unless there is a indeed a debate on this issue, the tags should go and I'll be monitoring this page accordingly. Please reply here if you agree ir feel otherwise! Plutonium27 (talk) 08:56, 14 December 2007 (UTC)