State run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) has confirmed that only one patient was treated in their Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for brain infection due to complications from viral Chikungunya infection.
The country is witnessing an outbreak of the mosquito borne disease with 846 reported cases thus far this year. While 279 people was reported to have contracted Chikungunya during March 2019, the number increased to 310 during April.
A tweet published by pediatrician Dr Ahmed Faisal said the brains of two children were infected due to the Chikungunya virus. However, only one child suffered a brain infection and was treated in the ICU but has since stabilized, said IGMH.
Chikungunya virus is spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.
Another mosquito-borne disease Dengue has also been spreading all over the Maldives. While 1957 people were reported to have contracted the disease this year, 586 cases of dengue were reported during March, which increased to 631 in April.
