From Cayman Islands Public Health Department

Chikungunya update for Cayman Islands as of 4 August 2014

Total cases investigated for chikungunya since 25 June 2014 is 13.

• Since the last update on 28 July 2014, there have been three new cases (from residents of West Bay) for testing during the week of 29 July- 4 August 2014.
• Two results were received this week from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), both tested negative for chikungunya.

The total results received thus far are: out of 10 cases tested, five have come back positive and five negative. Three results for blood samples sent during the period 31 July – 4 August are pending.

Of the five confirmed cases, four have reported a travel history to countries having an outbreak, (two to Dominican Republic and two to Guyana). One had no travel history, an indication that the infection was acquired locally. There have been no additional confirmed reports of chikungunya being acquired locally for the period July 29 to August 4 2014.

Distribution of all confirmed cases: George Town – one; Bodden Town (Savannah) – one; West Bay – one and Cayman Brac – two.

The number of countries/territories reporting cases of chikungunya continues to increase. To date, 6,563 confirmed/probable cases of chikungunya have been reported with 822 cases from 20 CARPHA Member States and 5,741 cases from 11 other Caribbean countries/territories.

Regional updates can be accessed by visiting the CARPHA website on http://carpha.org/What-We-Do/Public-Health-Activities/Chikungunya. In addition United States updates are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/geo/united-states.html.

1. Key Facts on Chikungunya

• Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, similar to dengue. Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.
• The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common. Joint paint is predominant in chikungunya, while muscle pain is predominant in dengue.
• There is no medication against the virus. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms- bed rest, over the counter pain killers, and plenty of fluids.
• There is no vaccine against chikungunya or dengue. Prevention of these diseases is through protective measures against mosquito bites by use of mosquito repellents on skin and clothing, and when outdoors during times that mosquitoes are biting, wearing long- sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
• The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya. People can greatly assist in reducing the local Aedes aegypti population by clearing their yards of containers that can hold water as these are favourite breeding sites for this mosquito.
• Since 2004, chikungunya fever has reached epidemic proportions globally, with considerable morbidity and suffering.
• The disease occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In recent decades mosquito vectors of chikungunya have spread to Europe and the Americas. In 2007, disease transmission was reported for the first time in a localized outbreak in north-eastern Italy.

2. Countries Reporting an Outbreak :

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands , Cayman Islands , Curacao,   Dominica , Grenada, Guyana, Haiti , Jamaica , St Kitts and Nevis,   St Lucia, Sint Maarten, St Vincent and the Grenadines,   Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands .

Cuba, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico,

St Barthelemy, St Martin, United States of America, US Virgin Islands and

Venezuela

For more advice on how to control mosquitoes in your yard, contact the MRCU on 949-2557 in Grand Cayman or 948-2223 in Cayman Brac; and DEH on 949-6696 in Grand Cayman or 948-2321 in Cayman Brac.

Related story:

Caribbean chikungunya cases climb 8%, top 500,000

From CIDRAP

The chikungunya virus, shown here, has infected more than 513,000 people in the Caribbean and neighboring regions since last December.

The tally of chikungunya cases in the Caribbean climbed by nearly 38,000 last week, topping the half million mark, with the Dominican Republic again contributing most of the increase, according to an Aug 1 update from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The total reached 513,393 cases, compared with 473,523 a week earlier, an increase of 37,870, or 8.0%. Those numbers include suspected and confirmed illnesses that are locally acquired and imported cases. The vast majority of them—508,122 as of Aug 1—are suspected local cases.

The Dominican Republic accounted for 26,012 of the new cases last week and more than half of all cases, with an overall total of 307,933, according to PAHO.

Neighboring Haiti had only 50 new cases last week, all classified as suspected, for a total of 64,709.

The death toll in the epidemic, which began last December, grew by 6, to 32. All 6 deaths were in Martinique, where the toll is now 19. The country’s overall case count reached 54,075, or 3,620 more than the week before.

The total of confirmed local cases actually dropped by 524 last week, from 5,260 to 4,736, largely because of a decrease in French Guiana. The tally of confirmed local cases there sank from 665 to 89, while suspected cases jumped from zero to 1,194 and imported cases dropped from 216 to zero.

Another Caribbean country that had a sizable jump in cases was Guadeloupe, where the total rose by 6,740, to 71,068.

In Central America, El Salvador reported 376 new cases for a total of 2,353.

Puerto Rico reported 390 new suspected cases for a total of 1,033. The numbers of confirmed and imported cases stayed the same at 215 and 17, respectively.

As for the United States, PAHO listed 380 imported cases, or 18 fewer than the 398 reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Jul 30. The nation has had four locally acquired cases, all in Florida, including two reported last week.

Meanwhile, imported cases in Mexico reached 380, an increase of 98, with local cases staying at 2.

Venezuela reported 86 cases, with 30 local confirmed and 56 imported ones, compared with 57 a week earlier, according to PAHO.

IMAGE: chikungunya_micrograph-cann.jpg AJ Cann / Flickr

For more on this story go to: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/08/caribbean-chikungunya-cases-climb-8-top-500000