Incurable mosquito born chikungunya virus spreads in US, at least 6 states affected.

Incurable chikungunya virus spreads in US, at least 6 states affected. (RT).

The latest case of the virus has been confirmed by Tennessee officials as the resident of Madison County, has been tested positive for the virus. The officials, however, added that there was no transmission to other residents in the state.

"It will be more difficult for the virus to establish itself here," Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee told Tech Times.

Rhode Island authorities also confirmed two cases of the mosquito-borne virus. They involve travelers who returned from the Dominican Republic on May 17 and May 29, said state officials, adding that authorities are currently investigating several other suspicious cases of the virus.

Florida has been the worst hit by the virus, with at least 25 cases reported in the state, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Florida Department of Health released a set of guidelines in order to avoid becoming infected and spreading the virus.


The cases of the virus, transmitted to humans through mosquitoes, have also been confirmed in North Carolina, Nebraska and Indiana.

On Wednesday, the virus affected two residents from the US Virgin Islands, according to local authorities.
“The first case has been confirmed as locally acquired; the second case is an imported case with the patient recent travel history outside of the Territory,” said the Department of Health in the US Virgin Islands in a press release.

Florida officials advised residents “to wear long sleeves and long pants when possible," and “use mosquito-proof screens on windows and doors.”


Symptoms of the malaria-like illness include fever, headache, chills, sensitivity to light, and rash, vomiting and severe joint pain, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints, it adds.

They usually begin three to seven days after infection occurs. The consequences include a long period of joint pains which may persist for years in some cases.

Though the virus rarely leads to death, the problem is that there is currently no vaccine available. The treatment only aims at improving the symptoms.

According to WHO, Chikungunya was first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952, eastern Africa, and since then has been detected in nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and also in the Americas.

The Pan American Health Organization says that about 165,000 cases have been either suspected or confirmed in the Caribbean since it was first documented in 2013-2014 with 14 death cases. Most of the cases have been detected in Dominican Republic, Guadalupe, Martinique and Haiti.

Flashback: June 10th MFS The Other News: Chikungunya rises in Caribbean as US notes imported cases




Related: Via The best info Blog on diseases: CROFT.

 Geographic Distribution | Chikungunya virus | CDC. Excerpt:

• Chikungunya is not a nationally notifiable disease in the United States. However, chikungunya cases can be reported to ArboNET, the national surveillance system for arthropod-borne diseases. 

• From 2006‒2013, studies identified an average of 28 people per year in the United States with positive tests for recent chikungunya virus infection (Range 5‒65 per year). All were travelers visiting or returning to the United States from affected areas, mostly in Asia. Only a quarter of the cases were reported to ArboNET. 

• Beginning in 2014, cases have been identified in travelers returning from the Caribbean. As of June 10, a total of 39 chikungunya cases have been reported to ArboNET from U.S. states and territories (Table). One locally transmitted case has been reported from Puerto Rico. All other cases occurred in travelers returning from affected areas in the Caribbean (N=37) or Asia (N=1). To date, no local transmission has been identified in the continental United States. 

• With the recent outbreaks in the Caribbean and the Pacific, the number of chikungunya cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States from affected areas will likely increase. These imported cases could result in local spread of the virus in the continental United States.

The page includes a table of states with a total of 38 imported chikungunya cases; the case in Minnesota, Dr. Halverson tells us, is hers.

Via the Jamaica Observer: Reduce mosquito breeding sites to avoid chikungunya, Ministry urges.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – As chikungunya slowly spreads in the Caribbean, health officials are again urging Jamaicans to search for and destroy mosquito breeding sites. 

The ministry of health in a release Saturday (June 14) said that an increase in the mosquito population is expected due to the recent rains which followed a period of prolonged drought. 

More mosquitoes could raise the possibility of the spread of vector borne diseases such as dengue, which is endemic to Jamaica and chikungunya, which has been detected in other Caribbean islands, Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse Director, Emergency, Disaster Management and Special Services in the Ministry of Health said. 

Dengue and chikungunya are only transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito which is generally found in and around places where people live, Dr DuCasse explained, adding that individuals should therefore ensure that there are no opportunities for mosquitoes to breed in their surroundings. 

“We’re asking everyone in households, schools, businesses, places of worship and other places where people gather to look for and destroy mosquito breeding sites. This is important for the reduction of the mosquito population, which in turn can stem the spread of vector-borne diseases,” Dr DuCasse said. 

Water containers should be kept tightly covered. Vases should be cleaned frequently or filled with soil or sand. Old tyres should be filled with dirt, Dr DuCasse advised. 

“Individuals are also advised to punch holes into cans before disposing of them.  Drums and water tanks, which have been found to be the main breeding sites for mosquitoes, should be properly covered.”

To date, no cases of chikungunya have been identified in Jamaica.

 Via EntomologyToday.org: Chikungunya Virus is Expected to Become Established in the U.S. Excerpt:

About six months ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a travel warning for people visiting islands in the Caribbean because chikungunya virus had been detected on the island of St. Martin. This was the first time it had been detected in the Americas. 

Now, in addition to the islands, health authorities are preparing for the virus to infect people in the U.S. itself. 

“It’s not a matter of if, but when,” Dr. James Crowe, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, recently said to USA Today. 

According to the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), “it is virtually certain” that the virus will become established in the U.S. According to Paul Etkind, senior director for infectious diseases at NACCHO, “Local health departments should expect to see more of these cases as travel to the Caribbean for business and pleasure purposes increases over time. In addition, hundreds of thousands of soccer fans, many from the United States, are expected to travel to Brazil in July for the World Cup. The opportunities for introduction of the virus via infected fans returning from the games will be many.” 

The virus has been confirmed in Florida, and in North Carolina, and other cases are being investigated in Tennessee and other states. 

So far, all of the confirmed and suspected cases have involved people who have traveled to the Caribbean recently. However, there is potential for the virus to take hold here in the U.S. — just like West Nile virus did more than a decade ago. 

Chikungunya is spread by the yellowfever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and by the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), both of which are present in North America. If one of these mosquitoes bites an infected person, it then has the potential to spread the virus by biting others.