Pogosta disease explained

Pogosta disease
Synonyms:Karelian fever, Ockelbo disease
Field:Infectious disease

Pogosta disease is a viral disease.[1] [2] The symptoms of the disease usually include rash, as well as mild fever and other flu-like symptoms; in most cases the symptoms last less than 5 days. However, in some cases, the patients develop a painful arthritis. There are no known chemical agents available to treat the disease.[3]

Cause

It has long been suspected that the disease is caused by a Sindbis-like virus, a positive-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Alphavirus genus and family Togaviridae.[1] In 2002 a strain of Sindbis was isolated from patients during an outbreak of the Pogosta disease in Finland, confirming the hypothesis.[3]

Treatment

There is currently no treatment available.

Epidemiology

This disease is mainly found in the Eastern parts of Finland; the disease was first detected in 1974 in the old parish village of Ilomantsi, sometimes called Pogosta.[4] A typical Pogosta disease patient is a middle-aged person who has been infected through a mosquito bite while picking berries in the autumn. The prevalence of the disease is about 100 diagnosed cases every year, with larger outbreaks occurring in 7-year intervals.[3]

Etymology

It is also known as Karelian fever and Ockelbo disease. The names are derived from the words Pogosta, Karelia and Ockelbo.

Notes and References

  1. Lvov . D. K. . Vladimirtseva . E. A. . Butenko . A. M. . Karabatsos . N. . Trent . D. W. . Charles Calisher. Calisher . C. H. . Identity of Karelian fever and Ockelbo viruses determined by serum dilution-plaque reduction neutralization tests and oligonucleotide mapping . The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene . 39 . 6 . 607–610 . 1988 . 2849885. 10.4269/ajtmh.1988.39.607 .
  2. Book: Laine, Maria . Pogosta Disease. University of Turku. 2002. 951-29-2129-4.
  3. 10.3201/eid1005.030689. 15200824. 3323234. Kurkela S, Manni T, Vaheri A, Vapalahti O . Causative agent of Pogosta disease isolated from blood and skin lesions. Emerg Infect Dis . May 2004. 10. 5. 889–894.
  4. https://yle.fi/news/3-12145922 Virus unique to Finland sees biggest outbreak in decades