By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Taiwan’s Department of Disease Control (CDC) announced the first confirmed, imported case of chikungunya of 2021.

Aedes aegypti/CDC

The patient is a Indonesian male in his 20s. He came to work in Taiwan on March 16.

When he arrived in Taiwan, he was found to be suffering from a fever. Quarantine officers then tested him for dengue fever, but the results came back negative.

After receiving the negative results, he was tested for COVID-19 and transported to a hospital to undergo medical treatment. Blood tests taken at the airport revealed he was positive for chikungunya fever.

Since chikungunya was first designated a notifiable communicable disease in 2007, Taiwan has recorded a total of 232 confirmed cases, including 21 locally acquired cases.

Aedes aegypti mosquito

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain, which is often debilitating. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash.

The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue and Zika, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where they are common. As there is no cure, treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.