T

he slew of diseases hitting Bali in the past few months is showing no sign of letting up, as dozens of Pecatu residents in South Kuta, Badung regency, were reported Monday to have contracted the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV).

Dozens of residents living in Suluban hamlet in Pecatu village showed signs of being infected with CHIKV, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

Pekak Reging, 75, said he had trouble standing due intense pain in the joints of his herbal-medicine-enveloped feet, both of which seemed larger than normal, especially his toes.

"I don't know what's gotten into me. Suddenly it feels hot, and then it hurts. I haven't been able to stamp down the grass to feed my cows," he said.

His daughter-in-law, Ni Wayan Suwitri, said three other family members were also experiencing the same symptoms of fever and pains in the hands and feet.

She said she and her husband were cured after taking vitamins and medicine from a local community clinic, but added many of her neighbors still complained of having the same symptoms.

Located three kilometers from Uluwatu Temple, Suluban is a tourism spot known for surfing. It has two beaches, Suluban Beach and Padang-Padang Beach, well-known among surfers. Villas and hotels occupy the hilly slopes of the area.

Anak Agung Gede Agung Mayun, head of the Badung Health Agency, said as many as 32 Suluban residents had shown specific symptoms of CHIKV, which include fever, nail rash, cold, and joint pains, though officials had yet to agree on the number, after Bali Health Agency head I Nyoman Sutedja said there were 41 patients suspected of having the disease.

Sutedja said the virus was spread by the same mosquito that also carried the dengue fever virus.

"But in this case, it's significantly different from dengue fever, since dengue can be fatal and Chikungunya is not," he said.

"But right now, we have only suspicions; no one has tested positive yet for Chikungunya. We're still doing field investigations and educating the public to keep them on the lookout for mosquito nests in empty cans or used plastic bottles."

Mayun said the Badung Health Agency was still waiting for blood test results.

Chikungunya is a Swahili term that means to contort or bend up, which aptly describes patients' often bending position due to arthralgia, or intense muscle joint pains.

The virus can be avoided by killing the carrying agent mosquito, which breeds in freshwater puddles.

Health authorities are advising residents to clean up or throw away anything that can hold puddles of water, including bathtubs, vases or empty cans.

The Aedes aegepty mosquito, which has a zebra-like coloring, also tends to be found in dark and damp places.

"We hope the public will stay alert and destroy possible nests, especially because it's the rainy season," Sutedja said.