Caribbean chikungunya outbreak grows, poses threat to US
Via CIDRAP, Lisa Schnirring writes From croftsblogs
Health officials are reporting a sharp rise in the number of patients sickened in a chikungunya fever outbreak centered on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, which may signal an increasing risk to the US mainland.
On the French part of the island, where most of the infections have been reported, the number of confirmed cases has risen from 26 to 66, according to a Dec 28 update from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In addition, health officials from the Netherlands have confirmed the first case on the Dutch side of St. Martin (Sint Maarten), and illnesses have been detected on two other nearby islands: three on Martinique and one on Guadeloupe, according to the ECDC report. Both of those islands are south and slightly east of St. Martin.
The case in Guadeloupe represents the island’s first documented local chikungunya case, which was detected because of enhanced surveillance for the disease in all French Caribbean territories, the ECDC said. The patient is co-infected with dengue serotype 4 and had not recently traveled to another area where chikungunya exists.
Meanwhile, health officials in the area are investigating a slew of suspected and probable cases. They include 167 suspected cases and 14 probable cases on the French side of St. Martin, and two patients have been hospitalized. Martinique has 27 suspected cases, and on the island of St. Barthelemy, 21 suspected cases are under investigation.
The outbreak represents the first known indigenous transmission of chikungunya fever in the Americas The ECDC said in its update that the outbreak underscores the recommendations it made earlier this month, urging health providers to heighten their vigilance against the disease, especially with increased travel during the holidays.
For more on this story go to:
See also iNews Cayman related stories published December 16 2013 and December 11 2013 “Chikungunya Virus Outbreak Occurs in St. Martin” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/chikungunya-virus-outbreak-occurs-in-st-martin/
And “WHO sees first chikungunya cases in western hemisphere” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/who-sees-first-chikungunya-cases-in-western-hemisphere/
