The nature of the sickness found, Ulysses,

What is the remedy?

— Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, 1, 3

THE sickness is chikungunya, or CHIKV for short, and the remedies are in abundance. But we’ll get to them later. Mosquitoes are a pesky bunch of critters at best, and a dangerous scourge at worst. If you want to know how dangerous they are, the startling fact is, mosquitoes kill more people

worldwide every year

than all other creatures combined. Over a million people die annually from mosquito-borne diseases such as Malaria, Dengue and West Nile Virus. Don’t take them lightly.

Fortunately, CHIKV is not fatal, although it’s possible if the victim has some underlying health condition such as full-blown sickle cell disease, diabetes or heart disease. In fact, I knew someone who had sickle cell and died after developing complications from CHIKV.

But even though it is not generally fatal, the victims tell me that they feel as if they’re going to die, as the pain is so severe, combined with the feeling of weakness plus the rashes. All caused by the simple bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

What’s even worse is that it’s the female mosquito that does the damage, as she needs blood to nurture her eggs, adding credence to my previous articles about gender equality and the female of the species being more deadly than the male.

So, the mosquitoes won, or did they? We’ll find out right after these responses to ‘Domestic violence’.

Teerob,

You hit the nail on the head with your article on domestic violence. Somehow, some people get so used to it that they accept it as the norm. “Oh, it’s just a little slap,” they say, not knowing that little slap is the manifestation of a deeper problem. Even if a woman slaps a man it’s domestic violence, although many women do not think so. I have had women slap me and laugh afterwards. I dare not retaliate. A slap has no gender, but it is still violence.

Barry

Hey Teerob,

I have had the unfortunate experience of being beaten by a man, my husband. The irony is, he wasn’t the big, strong, macho type, but had a predisposition to violence because of his father. He grew up with an abusive father who gave his mother hell, so having witnessed that, he thought it was normal behaviour.

I suffered many years of his verbal and physical abuse until I summed up the courage to leave. I waited until he was at work then called the moving truck to get me out. He went home to an empty house. That’s the only way, leave the brutes who beat.

Winsome

A plague of Biblical proportions is on the land. Well, not really, but the way some people talk, you’d think that the pestilences from Bible days have returned to wreak havoc on Pharaoh and his minions. Back then the Lord sent a plague of locusts, frogs, flies and creepy-crawly things to annoy the heck out of the oppressors.

Now it’s called chikungunya, and it has descended upon us like a dark cloud. The name originated in East/West Africa where it’s believed the disease was spawned, and basically means, bent over, or ‘ben-up’, as Jamaicans say. That’s because the pain makes young and old, weak or strong, bent over and doubled up in pain. “Is whap’n to you, arthritis?”

“No, ChikV lick me dung.”

Mosquito won.

As one man said: “That virus equalise everybody, make even the young and strong look old and pop down.” Because it’s borne by the mosquito, to keep it in check, you have to destroy the mosquito population. Easier said than done, for those pesky little flies, even though they live for only three weeks, have a fierce sense of survival.

They lay their eggs everywhere, and as soon as there’s water, they hatch. When I was a boy and kept pet fish, I used to breed mosquitoes and feed the larvae to my fish, so I know how they spawn. They breed like flies. They are members of the family Culicidae.

So we do fogging, we use sprays, we burn coils, we apply repellant with Deet, although… shh, I read where Deet, too, has its problems, but I won’t even go there. Plus I know this elderly lady who died of lung disease after burning mosquito coils in her locked-up bedroom for decades. The doctors said she had the lungs of a chain smoker or a coal miner.

Mosquito won.

After being bitten by this insidious little critter, the symptoms of CHIKV manifest themselves. And they ain’t pretty, from what I hear and observe. I am fortunate not to have had it, and, as my wife says, “We must be the only couple in Jamaica who hasn’t had it.”

We hope and pray that remains so. But everyone who had it tells me: “You wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy”; “I never felt so much pain in my life”; “I’m not ashamed to tell you, I pee-pee up myself as I couldn’t reach the bathroom in time”; “I peed in my bed as I couldn’t move.”

Five people told me those last two sentences of embarrassing incontinence, all because of CHIKV.

Mosquito won.

What’s incredible is the amount of ‘learned scientists’ that we have in Jamaica. And they come armed with the ‘facts’, not theories, mind you, but facts. Most insist that it’s not caused by the mosquito, as they say, “No sah, is a scientific plot to wipe out black people,” or, “Is military germ warfare that escaped from the lab”; “Is cough and sneeze mek yu catch it.” And you’d be surprised who’s spouting these conspiracy theories, too.

Even a sergeant of police was telling people downtown that it’s an airborne disease. They all know for a ‘fact’ that they are right.

Mosquito won.

Those who accept the scientific fact that it’s carried by the mosquito, just like dengue and malaria, have their theories how the mosquito got here. “Mosquito can’t fly far, so is drop dem drop dem here by satellite to infect we”; “Boss, I see one pitch pon me, and him big and black wid red eye, and when ah kill him, di blood black.” Ugh!

Mosquito lose.

But it’s the remedies that are interesting, and our people have a cure for everything, so CHIKV is no different. Some people say, “Wash off with sea water, then drink a pint of it, that will cure you” ; “Wash down yu body with bleach” ; “Drink bizzy tea with garlic and ginger”; “Boil Guinea weed, cerasee, sasparilla and rose bush.”

Interestingly, when I Googled chikungunya remedies, it stated that coconut water, raw carrots, ginger and garlic do help. But bizzy does seem to alleviate the symptoms.

“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, which we ascribe to heaven.” — Shakespeare.

CHIKV has affected our lives to a great extent, with many people now paying more respect to the lowly mosquito. Suddenly people are cleaning up their environment and heeding the call for cleanliness. But should we even be told to be clean?

Sports has been affected, as football teams have been depleted because many players have fallen victim to the virus. My students in karate class who got it tell me that it attacks their old injuries, so if they have a long-time knee or shoulder injury, that’s where the pain is localised. They all say the same thing. Most recover within three to four days, so I guess fitness does help a lot.

The workplace suffers too, although inventive souls that we are, many employees call in sick because of CHIKV when nothing is wrong with them. Every little cough or sneeze is ChikV. Some even claim to get it twice. “It lik me dung again, boss.” You can only get CHIKV once.

My relatives and friends who are doctors are overwhelmed, even though it has proven to be a windfall financially. “Give thanks, mosquito help to pay my mortgage.” Even an ill wind brings some good.

Doctors won.

One man said that it’s God protecting us, as according to him, once you get CHIKV it makes you immune to the dreaded Ebola. Jamaicans know everything. A BBC report said that even though CHIKV is all over Central and Latin America and the Caribbean, Jamaica is the only country that has reacted with such hysteria and ignorance. Even mosquito join political party. But is so we stay.

Now, our everyday greeting to each other is, “CHIKV touch you yet?” Who remembers the old Jamaican ditty, “Mosquito one, mosquito two, mosquito jump inna hot callaloo.”

Maybe that should be, mosquito won.

More time.

seido1@hotmail.com

Footnote: Why are some of our utility companies so thoughtless and insensitive to the public? Usually in foreign countries, they wait until off-peak time to do major work, working very late at night. But not ours. Just last week four utility trucks from a cable company almost blocked Trafalgar Road as they laid cables during five o’clock rush hour traffic. The pile-up

was unbearable and lasted

for hours.

Then other companies dig up newly paved roads and leave partially covered trenches for months, creating mayhem. Even police cars contribute to the chaos, as they stop motorists in the middle of traffic and block one entire lane forever. Can’t they take the offenders off to a side road? These are not new issues, but they still create great inconvenience to the travelling public. They just do as they please.