A mosquito-borne virus previously contained to parts of Asia and Africa is now being spread locally in the Americas, with several confirmed cases in Florida.
The Chikungunya virus – which has symptoms resembling Dengue fever, but has no treatment or vaccine – has infected more than one million people and killed 155 since hitting the Americas about a year ago.
All countries in Central America have reported local transmission of the virus, according to CNN, with at least 11 confirmed cases in Florida. An additional 1,900 imported cases have been identified in other U.S. states in returning travelers.
Both Chikungunya, which literally means “bending over in pain,” and Dengue can cause joint pain and inflammation, headaches, rashes and fever, and can lead to death in rare cases. But Chikungunya causes more intense joint pain and inflammation – sometimes lasting for months or years.
Since the virus is rarely fatal, the issue of most concern to officials is the burden on health services and the impact of the debilitating symptoms on the economy.
“The high number of cases can overload health services,” Dr. Pilar Ramon-Pardo, regional adviser for PAHO, the regional office of the World Health Organization, told CNN.
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