At least 100 people in Prek Russey commune’s Peam Sdey village in Kandal province’s Lvea Em district have sought medical assistance since Saturday and are suspected of being infected with the chikungunya disease, said Kandal provincial Department of Health director Kuy Bunthoeun.

Bunthoeun said 12 health workers were sent to the village where they would be on standby to provide treatment to infected villagers. Peam Sdey is located in a remote area bordering Prey Veng province, far from health centres, while the road to the village is difficult to travel on due to recent flooding.

Authorities have arranged for those suspected of having chikungunya to stay in a pagoda hall.

Bunthoeun said: “I want to confirm that these are cases of suspected illnesses. We cannot say if it’s chikungunya because we did not take samples to test.

“Since Saturday night, there have been 14 people, and this Sunday morning, another one, who we have required to undergo treatment. Some others were just suspected to have it, and some had a rash, but it has healed.”

In a Ministry of Health press release published on Sunday, spokesperson Or Vandine said that since the outbreak of chikungunya in almost all provinces in August, there have been a total of 5,998 suspected cases.

Chikungunya continues to spread in some areas, while others that have experienced outbreaks have remained calm and manageable.

Among the nearly 6,000 suspected cases reported through dengue surveillance systems nationwide, more than 80 per cent were from Siem Reap, Takeo and Preah Vihear provinces.

Statistics showed that 54 per cent of the cases involved adults, 31 per cent involved children over five and 15 per cent involved children under five. Out of all the patients suspected of having chikungunya, 96 per cent have been cured while the remaining four per cent are receiving treatment at public hospitals.

Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng advised people to exercise caution and eliminate all mosquito shelters around their homes.

He also suggested people sleep in mosquito nets and wear clothes which cover the skin.

Mosquitoes thrive during the rainy season and diseases can spread easily if people don’t take precautions, he said.

Chikungunya symptoms occur two to three days after someone is bitten by a female Aedes aegypti mosquito.