PENANG, Malaysia The buzz of a single mosquito flying around Oo Boon Siews living room is enough to make his family jump in terror. It wasnt so long ago that these tiny insects disrupted their tranquil life and nearly killed Oo.

Once a well-travelled education consultant, Oo now lives on the Malaysian island of Penang with his wife and son. His joints frequently swell and ache, a physical reminder of the events that brought him to the edge of death.

Over the course of just a few weeks in 2009, Oo fell victim to a staggering sequence of viruses. First, he was infected with the flu-like dengue fever , fairly common in this part of the world. Then he caught the less common chikungunya , which is similar to and often confused with dengue but can cause disfigurement and disabling joint pain that persists for years . Finally, he caught a more severe strain of dengue and nearly died.