Chikungunya virus in Surigao del Sur

I heard this news about Chikungunya fever this morning. It has affected five residents in Surigao del Sur. Not knowing what this illness is and knowing that J's family is in Surigao left me so anxious. You don't know how worried I am.

I did a research and found out that Chikungunya (can someone please rename this into something easier to spell?) is a dengue-like virus that is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Check out this Wikipedia link for more information.

Anyway, I also found out that the affected residents are from Barobo, which is pretty far from where J's family lives. I also remembered that he is now in Surigao del Norte, which is farther away. However, knowing his attitude on illnesses doesn't give me peace of mind. He won't go to a doctor unless he sees blood. Cases in point: when he got shot in an encounter and when he broke his leg in a car accident.

Once, he caught dengue fever and you know what he did? He still reported to work and drank tea made with tawa-tawa.

Image taken from Wikipedia

For the uninformed, this is called "asthma weed" in English and is commonly used in the Philippines as first aid treatment for dengue. Again, please check this link for more info.

J didn't go to the doctor at all. He immediately got well, actually, but I think it's because he's so healthy. He eats well (lots of fruits and vegetables) and exercises a lot, so I think the credit goes to his immune system. If you live a slightly less healthy lifestyle (like me), please do me a favor and go to a doctor once you see symptoms of dengue fever, or in this case, Chikungunya fever.

Oh, I hate writing the word.