New virus spreads rapidly through Caribbean





Chikungunya, first identified in Africa in 1953, is rarely fatal but it is extremely debilitating. The Pan American Health Organization says seven people in the Caribbean with chikungunya have died during the outbreak but they had underlying health issues that likely contributed to their death.

Outbreaks of the virus have long made people miserable in Africa and Asia. But it is new to the Caribbean, likely brought in by an infected air traveler. The only other notable outbreak occurred in northern Italy, in 2007.

There have been no confirmed cases of local transmission of chikungunya on the U.S. mainland, but experts say the high number of travelers to the region means that could change as early as this summer. So far, there are no signs the virus is keeping visitors away, though some Caribbean officials warn it might if it is not controlled.


The virus is spread by two species of mosquitoes, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus. It's also a traveler-borne virus under the right circumstances. Typically, it takes five days before symptoms of the virus emerge.

"The evidence suggests that once you get it and recover, once your immune system clears the virus you are immune for life," said Dr. Roger Nasci, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials are now working feverishly to educate the public about the illness, knock down the mosquito population, and deal with an onslaught of cases. Authorities are attempting to control mosquitoes throughout the Caribbean, from dense urban neighborhoods to beach resorts.
