Vol. 7, Issue 8 (2018)

Author(s):
Md. Mehdi Hasan, Ashraful Islam, Cotton Chakma, Zubaida Khatun and Harun AR Rashid

Abstract:
The recent emergence of Chikungunya has taken the concern of the health authorities of Bangladesh. There was a good number of record of Chikungunya patients in different hospitals as well as clinic. Although the fatality rate of this disease almost negligible, but the suffering due to this viral fever has been the main notable point. The aim of this paper is to make a general understanding of the disease as well as the structural identity of the virus with the symptoms and probable treatment or prevention. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus, is recurring in epidemic waves. In the past decade and a half, the disease has resurged in several countries around the globe, with outbreaks becoming increasingly severe. Though CHIKV was first isolated in 1952, there remain significant gaps in knowledge of CHIKV biology, pathogenesis, transmission, and mechanism. Diagnosis is largely simplified and based on symptoms, while treatment is supportive rather than curative. Here we present an overview of the disease, the challenges that lie ahead for future research, and what directions current studies are headed towards, with emphasis on improvement of current animal models and potential use of 3D models. Therefore, it is imperative that health care first responders who provide emergency medical services be knowledgeable on the detection, diagnoses and response to biological agents so as to minimize adverse health effects and prevent fatalities. Information contained in this article includes overall awareness of select agents of bioterrorism and brief clinical characteristics of the most common and most likely bioterrorism agents known as Tier 1 select agents with the purpose of better preparing health care first responders in the event of a potential bioterrorism attack.