THE CASE
Ross River Fever is a viral disease transmitted by some mosquitoes. As a fact sheet issued by the NSW Government says:
The fact sheet goes on to say that there is no specific treatment for the Ross River virus.
But now there is. A team coordinated by the School of Health Sciences, University of Canberra has been working on this problem.
They have just published an article in The Journal of Infectious Diseases (23/04/2008) "Macrophage-Derived Proinflammatory Factors Contribute to the Development of Arthritis and Myositis after Infection with an Arthrogenic Alphavirus" provides some hope. The article indicates that the arthropathy associated with this virus can be treated using the relatively inexpensive drug sulfasalazine, marketed in Australia under the brand names Salazopyrin and Pyralen EN.
Although this drug does not prevent the disease it may also be useful to treat the arthritic symptoms caused by similar viral diseases especially chikungunya that reportedly affects over 6 million people anually in India, Africa, the Western Indian Ocean area, and even Italy. The research team said that this treatment could also be of use in treating the arthritis caused by many other viruses, even influenza.
MY VERDICT
This appears to be an excellent piece of research, not only will it potentially benefit millions of people annually, but the therapy uses an existing, presumably out of patent drug.
NOTE
For further information on this contact Dr. Suresh Mahalingam, School of Health Sciences, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Ross River Fever is a viral disease transmitted by some mosquitoes. As a fact sheet issued by the NSW Government says:
Many people who are infected with the virus will never develop symptoms.
• Some people will have flu-like symptoms that include fever, chills, headache and aches and pains in the muscles and joints.
• Some joints can become swollen, and joint stiffness may be particularly noticeable in the morning.
• Sometimes a rash occurs on the body, arms or legs. The rash usually disappears after seven to 10 days.
• A general feeling of being unwell, tired or weak may also occur at times during the illness. This may affect work performance.
The fact sheet goes on to say that there is no specific treatment for the Ross River virus.
But now there is. A team coordinated by the School of Health Sciences, University of Canberra has been working on this problem.
They have just published an article in The Journal of Infectious Diseases (23/04/2008) "Macrophage-Derived Proinflammatory Factors Contribute to the Development of Arthritis and Myositis after Infection with an Arthrogenic Alphavirus" provides some hope. The article indicates that the arthropathy associated with this virus can be treated using the relatively inexpensive drug sulfasalazine, marketed in Australia under the brand names Salazopyrin and Pyralen EN.
Although this drug does not prevent the disease it may also be useful to treat the arthritic symptoms caused by similar viral diseases especially chikungunya that reportedly affects over 6 million people anually in India, Africa, the Western Indian Ocean area, and even Italy. The research team said that this treatment could also be of use in treating the arthritis caused by many other viruses, even influenza.
MY VERDICT
This appears to be an excellent piece of research, not only will it potentially benefit millions of people annually, but the therapy uses an existing, presumably out of patent drug.
NOTE
For further information on this contact Dr. Suresh Mahalingam, School of Health Sciences, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
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