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.

Air conditioners feel great when the weather turns hot and sticky. Most of us spend hours under one, at home, at work, or even on long drives, and it barely crosses our minds. But sitting in cold air for too long can quietly leave your neck and back feeling tight and sore. AC isn't going to cause a serious spine problem on its own, but it can tighten up your muscles and make existing pain worse.

Why Does This Happen?

Muscles function optimally when they are relaxed and warm. As soon as the cold air comes into contact with them, the body automatically starts tightening them as it seeks to retain its warmth. When this occurs in places such as the neck, shoulders, and lower back regions, there is a chance that these muscles will get sore and stiff. This condition worsens even more if the cold air continues to blow in the same spot for hours, especially while sleeping or sitting at a workstation.

What It Does To Your Neck And Back

Your neck and back rely on several muscles to keep you upright and moving properly all day. Cold air can slow blood flow to these muscles, which makes them tense up more easily. That's why people often wake up with a stiff neck after sleeping under an AC vent or feel upper back pain after a day in a freezing office. If you already deal with something like cervical spondylitis or chronic back pain, cold air can make those symptoms flare up even more.

It's Not Just The AC

Cold air rarely works alone. Bad posture, sitting too long, skipping exercise, and not stretching enough all add to the problem. Picture sitting at a computer for hours in a chilly office: that's tense muscles and poor posture combining at the same time, which makes stiffness and pain even more likely.

Simple Ways To Avoid It

A few small changes can make a real difference: keep the airflow away from your neck and back, set the temperature to something comfortable rather than freezing, get up and stretch every so often, drink enough water, and keep a light sweater or shawl nearby if it gets too cold.

AC keeps us comfortable when it's hot outside, but too much cold air for too long can leave your neck and back stiff and achy. A little attention to airflow, posture, and movement throughout the day can help you stay comfortable without paying for it later.

(By Dr. Aanchal Sharma, Pain Physician, Principal Consultant and Head of Department, Department of Pain Medicine at BLK MAX Hospital, New Delhi)

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that causes pigment loss in patches of skin. It is highly treatable and does not spread from person to person. However, stress, poor sleep, diet, and overall immune health may influence how active the condition becomes, experts said today on World Vitiligo Day.

Awareness around vitiligo remains low and is often clouded by misconceptions. Observed annually on June 25, World Vitiligo Day aims to raise awareness and challenge the stigma associated with the condition.

HealthandMe spoke to experts to understand the disease and the factors that may affect it.

Dr. Rashmi Ranjan, Consultant – Dermatology, Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital, Noida, said the biggest misconception is that vitiligo is contagious.

"It cannot spread from one person to another through touch, sharing food, or close contact."

Dr. Rashmi told HealthandMe that many people also incorrectly believe vitiligo is caused by poor hygiene or specific foods, claims that are not supported by scientific evidence.

Also read: Sleeping Too Little or Too Much? Neurologist Explains Health Risks

What Is Vitiligo?

Vitiligo occurs when the body's immune system attacks melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing skin pigment. While the condition is not life-threatening, it can have a significant emotional and psychological impact.

“As a chronic autoimmune disorder, vitiligo develops when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks melanocytes—the cells responsible for producing skin pigment. The result is the appearance of white patches that can develop anywhere on the body and may gradually increase in size or number over time,” Dr Hetanshu Parekh, Consultant Plastic Reconstructive & Cosmetic Surgeon, Bhailal Amin General Hospital, told HealthandMe.

The Emotional Impact of Vitiligo

The theme of World Vitiligo Day 2026 is "From Stigma to Strength".

According to Dr. Rashmi, visible skin changes often attract unwanted attention, questions and social judgment. Some people may avoid social gatherings or experience challenges in relationships and employment because of persistent misconceptions.

Children may face bullying, while adults can struggle with anxiety and low self-esteem. Emotional support from family, friends and healthcare professionals is therefore crucial.

A recent study also highlighted a strong link between vitiligo and mental health in India. Nearly 89% of patients reported moderate to severe depression, while close to 60% said they covered their patches, underscoring the continuing impact of stigma.

Read More: Did Donald Trump Take Eli Lilly's Weight Loss Drug? What Did White House Say

Vitiligo and the Role of Lifestyle Factors

Dr Hetanshu said vitiligo is often viewed as a skin condition alone, but the disease is far more complex. He explained that

Stress

• Stress can disrupt immune balance and increase inflammation, potentially worsening vitiligo.
• New or expanding patches are often observed after major life events such as exams, work pressure, illness, financial difficulties or bereavement.

Sleep

• Quality sleep is essential for immune regulation and overall health.
• Chronic sleep deprivation, irregular sleep schedules or less than six hours of sleep may worsen autoimmune conditions, including vitiligo.

Diet

• There is no specific "vitiligo diet" and no food can cure the condition.
• Deficiencies in Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, folate and copper may affect immune and skin health.
• Experts recommend an anti-inflammatory diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption should be avoided.

Skin Protection

• Repeated friction, cuts, burns and excessive sun exposure may trigger vitiligo patches (Koebner phenomenon).
• Use sunscreen regularly, wear protective clothing and avoid unnecessary skin trauma from tight straps, jewellery or repetitive rubbing.

Is Vitiligo Treatable?

Advances in targeted topical medications, phototherapy and immune-modulating therapies have expanded treatment options and enabled more personalized care, said Dr. Rashmi told HealthandMe.

Dr Hetanshu stressed that lifestyle measures should complement, not replace, medical treatment. Treatment measures include:

• For small, stable patches, doctors commonly prescribe corticosteroid creams and tacrolimus ointment.
• More extensive or rapidly spreading vitiligo may require narrowband UVB phototherapy, excimer laser therapy, oral corticosteroids or newer JAK inhibitors such as tofacitinib and ritlecitinib.
• Patients with stable disease for six to twelve months may be candidates for surgical procedures such as skin grafting and melanocyte transplantation.
• Medical tattooing and camouflage techniques can help in difficult-to-treat areas.

Blood cancers are among the most challenging, but advances in treatments, such as targeted therapies, advanced transplantation techniques, and increasingly customized approaches, are offering a new ray of hope for patients. Among these innovations, Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, commonly known as CAR-T cell therapy, represents one of the most important breakthroughs in modern cancer care in recent times.

Unlike conventional treatments that directly target cancer cells, CAR-T cell therapy harnesses the patient's immune system to identify and attack cancer. It is a powerful example of how medicine is moving towards personalized treatment strategies that are designed around an individual's disease biology.

How CAR-T Cell Therapy Works

To understand CAR-T therapy, it is important to understand the role of T-cells. These are specialized immune cells responsible for recognizing and eliminating abnormal cells in the body. In some blood cancers, cancer cells develop mechanisms that allow them to evade immune surveillance. CAR-T therapy addresses this challenge by genetically modifying a patient's T-cells in a laboratory to recognize specific proteins present on cancer cells.

The process begins with the collection of T-cells from the patient's blood through leukapheresis. These cells are then engineered to express specialized receptors, called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which enable them to recognize cancer cells more effectively. Once modified and multiplied, the cells are infused back into the patient's bloodstream, where they seek out and destroy cancer cells.

Potential of CAR-T

Currently, CAR-T cell therapy has shown encouraging results in several blood cancers, including certain forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. For some patients whose disease has relapsed after multiple lines of treatment or failed to respond to conventional therapies, CAR-T therapy has offered a valuable new treatment option.

One of the most promising aspects of CAR-T therapy is its potential for durable responses. In selected patients, the engineered immune cells can continue to remain active within the body, providing ongoing surveillance against cancer recurrence. While every patient may not experience the same outcome, the ability to achieve long-lasting remission in heavily pre-treated cancers has generated significant optimism within the oncology community.

CAR-T therapy: The Challenges And Side Effects

All that being said, CAR-T therapy is a highly specialized treatment that requires careful patient selection and close monitoring. Some patients may also experience side effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurological complications, or temporary suppression of normal blood cell production. Fortunately, advances in supportive care and growing clinical experience have substantially improved the management of these complications.

The Future of Blood Cancer Care

Researchers across the world are working on next-generation CAR-T platforms designed to improve effectiveness, reduce toxicity and expand treatment eligibility. Investigational approaches include "off-the-shelf" CAR-T products derived from healthy donors, dual-target CAR-T cells capable of recognizing multiple cancer markers, and therapies aimed at overcoming treatment resistance.

Scientists have also been exploring the potential of CAR-T therapy in other blood cancers and even selected solid tumors. While significant challenges remain, ongoing research continues to push the boundaries of what immune-based therapies can achieve. As research advances and access continues to improve, CAR-T cell therapy is expected to play a very important role in the future of blood cancer care. For patients, families, and clinicians alike, it represents a powerful reminder that innovation continues to redefine what is possible in the fight against cancer.

(By Dr. Dinesh Bhurani, Director – Hemato-Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre (RGCIRC))