Overview

This is a disease that is transmitted from mosquitoes to humans and affects many people in the world. Found in densely populated countries and continents, like Africa, Asia and the tropics of the Americas, this has severe symptoms. This viral disease is caused by the Chikungunya virus of the Togaviridae. First identified in the United Republic of Tanzania in 1952 and subsequently in other countries like Africa and Asia. Since 2004 the outbreak of CHIKV virus has become more widespread and caused partly due to the viral adaptations allowing the virus to be spread more easily by Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The transmission has been noted to persist in countries where there is a large population, but interestingly, the transmission has been interrupted on islands where a high proportion of the population is infected and then immune.

Symptoms

The onset of the disease is usually in 4-8 days and after a bite of an infected mosquitoes, it is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever and then joint pain. This joint pain is severed and lasts for a few days but may prolong for months maybe even years. Other signs are joint swelling, muscle pains, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. These symptoms also overlap with those of dengue and Zika virus and can be misdiagnosed. Most people fully recover from the infection and experience only mild and sometimes the infection even goes unrecognized. However, there have been cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications. The elderly and newborns are more susceptible to the infection and if they have any underlying conditions then they are likely to become severely ill increasing the risk of death.

Diagnosis and treatment

The diagnosis and treatment of the virus may be done by blood sampling and other tests like reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR). Other tests detect the activity of the antibodies. These can be detected in the first week after illness onset and can be detected for about 2 months. Many clinical measures can be taken to address fever and joint pain. But there is no specific anti-viral drug treatment for the virus.

Preventing Chikungunya

As this disease is caused by the bite of a mosquito, you must reduce the opportunities to let the mosquito breed. Mosquitoes bite during the day and night, and for people who live in risk areas like southeast Asia, Africa and tropical regions of America, many outbreaks happen each year. The best way to prevent it is to protect yourself from the mosquito's bite. You also must get vaccinated before travelling to any of these regions. Use insect repellent, and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. You can also treat your clothes and gear with permethrin. As we all know, they tend to breed in humid places and places where they have access to water, so try to close the rooms that are air-conditioned with screens and windows. Use nets and mosquito repellents if you are sleeping outside. There are many different types of mosquito repellents like paper, liquid etc, and they are quite effective. If your job needs, you to be stationary for long hours or frequently go outside you must take the necessary precautions.

Microplastics pose a danger to the heart. While there is enough evidence to show that they clog arteries and exacerbate the risk of stroke, recent research has found that these teeny particles of plastic can trigger cardiovascular diseases. It is estimated that chemicals in plastic were linked to nearly 350,000 heart disease deaths across the world in 2018. Adding to that, is this study published in the journal eBioMedicine, which estimated that roughly 13 per cent of cardiovascular deaths among 55- to 64-year-olds worldwide that year could be attributed to phthalates.

Where Are Phthalates are esters of phthalic acids, which are added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. They are found in personal care products like shampoos and lotions as well as in food containers and packaging. It is also possible to injest them through food, absorb them through skin from products containing them or breathe them from dust.

Some studies have shown an association between phthalates and cardiovascular disease, but there isn’t strong evidence to show that the chemicals directly cause heart issues, said Sung Kyun Park, a professor of epidemiology and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. However, there is enough evidence that states that phthalates increase the risk of metabolic disorders like obesity and Type 2 diabetes, which can cause cardiovascular disease. One way phthalates may do this is by increasing oxidative stress—cell and tissue damage that happens when there are too many unstable molecules in the body—and by promoting inflammation.

Microplastics: Explained

Microplastics are extremely small particles—often less than five millimetres in size—created when larger pieces of plastic break down. They can enter the human body in multiple ways: through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even skin contact. An even smaller subset, known as nanoplastics, measures under 1,000 nanometers and is completely invisible to the naked eye. Because of their minuscule size, these particles can infiltrate tissues, organs, and potentially disrupt biological functions.

One Simple Way To Mitigate Risk Of Microplastics

Amid growing concerns about microplastic contamination, especially in drinking water, scientists have been working on practical ways to mitigate exposure. In 2024, a research team from Guangzhou Medical Centre made a breakthrough. They discovered that a common household activity—boiling water—can significantly reduce microplastic content in tap water.

According to the team, combining boiling with basic filtration can remove up to 90% of nanoplastic and microplastic particles (NMPs) from household water. However, the method’s effectiveness varied depending on the type of water used. In areas where tap water contains higher mineral content, commonly referred to as "hard water," the technique proved especially efficient.

The secret lies in limescale. As hard water is heated, it forms limescale—a chalky white substance—which appears to create a sticky layer that traps microplastic fragments. Researchers found this natural process enhanced the removal of plastic particles from water, offering a practical and affordable solution for most households.

While more research is needed to fully understand the long-term health effects of microplastics, early evidence suggests they may be more dangerous than previously thought—especially for cardiovascular health.

Most people do not take neck pain seriously. While it is uncomfortable, people attribute it to lifestyle factors like incorrect sitting posture or looking at their phones for too long. However, extended periods of neck pain could be serious.

Most neck pains do not need to be treated as a serious medical threat, however there is an exception. Harvard Health Publishing explains that there's a rare problem worth knowing about: a tear in one of the blood vessels in your neck. Doctors call this cervical artery dissection. It doesn't happen very often – only to about two people out of every 100,000 each year. However, it's a leading cause of strokes in people younger than 50, which makes it important for awareness.

What Is Cervical Artery Tear?

In your neck, there are two sets of important blood vessels: the carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries. Together, these are called the cervical arteries, and they carry blood to your brain. A cervical artery dissection is when there's a tear in the inner lining of one of these blood vessels.

When a tear happens in a cervical artery, blood can leak in between the layers of the artery wall. This leaking blood can form a blood clot. This clot can either completely block the flow of blood through the artery or break off and travel to an artery in the brain. If either of these things happens, it can cause a stroke, which is a serious medical emergency.

Who Should Be Careful?

Cervical artery tears happen more often in younger adults for a couple of reasons. First, some people are born with weak connective tissue in their bodies, which can make their arteries more likely to tear. For these people, a tear in a neck artery is more likely to happen when they are younger. In older people, strokes are often caused by other things, like the arteries in the brain getting narrow because of fatty buildup. But it's still possible for older people to have cervical artery dissections. One study found that some people diagnosed with this problem were over 60.

The second, and maybe a bigger reason why these artery tears are more common in people under 50 is that younger adults are more likely to do activities that involve neck movements that can sometimes cause a tear. There have been reports of dissections happening after things like heavy weightlifting, dancing with a lot of head movements, and even yoga. If certain yoga poses, like a shoulder stand, aren't done correctly, they can bend the neck too far backwards.

You can also bend your neck too far back when you're getting your hair washed at the sink in a hair salon. Even though it doesn't happen very often, there's even a name for it: "beauty parlor stroke syndrome." To be safe, you can ask your hairdresser for a neck extension, which is a little cushion that supports your head so your neck doesn't have to bend so much.

Watch Out for Unusual Neck Pain

If you have a cervical artery dissection, the neck pain is often different from regular neck pain. It might feel strange, it doesn't go away, and it's often joined by a really bad headache. If the tear is in the carotid artery, the pain might spread along the side of your neck and up towards the outside corner of your eye.

If it's in the vertebral artery, it might feel like something sharp is stuck at the base of your skull. If you have this kind of pain, especially if you also have stroke symptoms like dizziness, seeing double, jerky eye movements, feeling unsteady when you walk, or slurred speech, it's important to get medical help right away.

Metagenomics, a cutting-edge diagnostic technique that uses genetic sequencing to identify harmful microbes, is transforming medical science worldwide. According to its developers, this tool can identify all bacteria, fungi, or parasites present in a sample by comparing them against a vast database of millions of pathogens—offering unprecedented accuracy and speed.

In a recent case, a team at Moorfields Eye Hospital arranged for a fluid sample to be taken from inside a patient named Ellie's eye and sent to the metagenomics labs at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). This lab is the only one in the UK officially recognised to carry out metagenomic diagnostic tests for patients and is one of just a few globally.

Currently, standard diagnostic methods for bacterial infections involve growing the sample in a Petri dish. For viruses, PCR tests are commonly used, which became widely known during the COVID-19 pandemic, when millions took swab tests at home to detect infection. However, PCR tests have limitations. Speaking to the BBC, Dr Julianne Brown, principal clinical scientist at the GOSH metagenomics service, explains, "The trouble with PCR is that you have to think of the viruses that might be causing an infection and do a separate test for each and every one. So if you've got an infection with something that's unexpected, rare or not previously known, you won't find it."

In Ellie’s case, metagenomics revealed she had a rare strain of bacterial infection called leptospirosis, typically found in South America. It’s believed she contracted it while swimming in the Amazon River during a 2018 trip to Ecuador and Colombia. Receiving the test results was an emotional experience. She was prescribed three weeks of antibiotics, and within days, her vision began to clear and the inflammation subsided.

Metagenomics Is Expensive Than Normal Diagnostics

A single metagenomics test currently costs around £1,300—considerably more than conventional diagnostic methods. However, as the technology advances and becomes more accessible, experts believe these costs will decline significantly. Regardless, it has unmatched advantages:

No culturing required: It bypasses the need to grow organisms in a lab, saving time and potentially uncovering unculturable microorganisms.

Comprehensive analysis: It can detect a wide range of organisms in a single test.

Rapid results: Faster than traditional methods of isolating and identifying pathogens.

Metagenomics Is The Future

Virologist Professor Judy Breuer, who has been developing metagenomics at GOSH and University College London (UCL) for over a decade, says her team now receives three or four samples per week from hospitals across the UK. These are in addition to the tests carried out on their own patients. She notes that many of these samples come from sterile parts of the body, like the eyes or brain, where traditional testing methods often fail due to the inaccessibility of the bacteria. With the promise of quicker, more accurate results, especially for hard-to-detect infections—metagenomics is proving to be a powerful tool in modern medicine.