Tiger Malaria. This was the name circulated in the public when Papua New Guinea experienced an outbreak of an unknown malaria-like illness from late 2012 and continuing into 2013. It was later discovered that the fever was caused by a virus. To date, no one knows how, when and who coined that term but it is believed that it stemmed from the tiger-like stripes found on the mosquitoes that transmit the virus.
I travelled down to Lae early this year and spent a night with a family at Hunta. That was where I first heard the description of Tiger Malaria. The mother described how the illness started with her first, then jumped on to his youngest son after a few days and within two weeks, the whole family of six had stories to tell about how they came down with Tiger Malaria.
Medically known as Chikungunya Fever, Tiger Malaria is a rarely fatal illness caused by the mosquito-transmitted Chikungunya virus. The family name of the virus is Togaviridae and since the virus's discovery in 1953, outbreaks of the fever has been reported in Asia, parts of Africa, Islands in the Indian Ocean and Australia. The yellow fevegfr mosquito (Aedes aegypti) which bites during the day, and the Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) are the main vectors identified.
The public's description, affirmed clinically, was that of an illness that resembles malaria, but one that cripples the whole family, usually not simultaneously but one after another. A sudden onset of crippling joint ache and fever were described. Temperatures can go up to as high as 40 degree Celsius. Unlike malaria, chills and shivering were not described. Several patients reported red rashes on the abdomen and other sites, and a lot of people reported nausea in the absence of diarrhea or abdominal aches. Test for malarial parasites were always negative unless there is co-existing plasmodium infection.
Severe debilitating joint aches of acute onset (some can ambulated only with the help of crutches), high fever without chills or rigors, nausea without any digestive tract problems and occasionally scattered rashes, are symptoms that stand out to distinguish Tiger Malaria from the common malaria (plasmodium malaria).
The public devised their own home remedies. Some exposed themselves to repeated hot herbal steaming that their faces turned dark and even burnt...epidermis slowly sloughs off during recovery.
No antiviral treatments or vaccines is currently available. Simple symptomatic treatment, fluids and adequate rest is usually all that is needed to tame the tiger. Fortunately, the disease is self-limiting (heals by itself) and seldom fatal. Panadol or paracetamol is effective in reducing both pain and fever and other complicated, rumor-based or assumptive treatment methods (like steam baths) should be done so with caution or better, not employed at all. Measures to prevent mosquito bites is vital in preventing the spread of Chikungunya fever.
The map above shows the regions or countries where Chikungunya fever has been reported. The next updated map will see PNG shaded in green.
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