From Caribbean360

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Thursday April 24, 2014, CMC – Three cases of the mosquito-borne disease chikungunya, have been confirmed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a senior health official told the Caribbean Media Corporation on Thursday.

The confirmation comes less than 12 hours after a video was posted on the internet in which a woman form Paget Farm in the northern Grenadine island of Bequia, said she and three other members of her family had been diagnosed with the disease.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), I got up and couldn’t even walk properly,” she said, adding that she then travelled to St. Vincent, where a doctor prescribed antibiotics and other medication.

“Seriously, I wouldn’t wish it for my biggest enemy. Too much pain, pain in the joint, fever, headache,” the woman said.

In the video, other residents displayed symptoms, such as rashes, and joint pains.

The confirmation of the disease comes just after the Easter weekend, when large numbers of Vincentians visited Bequia for the celebrations there.

Last Thursday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Luis de Shong issued two separate news releases, saying there were no confirmed cases of the virus in the country, contrary to reports circulated orally and via social media.In a separate release on the same day, de Shong said the Insect Vector Control Unit would conduct fogging operations in Bequia.

To address this latest development, Health Minister, Clayton Burgin will host an urgent press conference at 2 p.m. (local time) on Thursday.

Chikungunya, which originated in Africa, has been spreading across the Caribbean, with St. Lucia confirming its first case last month.

The World Health Organisation says chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes.

It 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.

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/st-vincent-confirms-cases-of-the-mosquito-borne-chikungunya-disease#ixzz2zp0x0nxG

Related story:

Dominican Republic releases first chikungunya case numbers

By Charles Simmins From Examiner

The CDC warns about another serious mosquito-carried virus coming into the U.S. after confirming 10 people infected on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, and advises taking precautions.on.aol.com

Included in the week 16 communicable disease threats report issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on April 18 are the first chikungunya case counts from the Dominican Republic. The DR has reported 17 confirmed and 767 suspected cases of the mosquito borne disease. The number of confirmed and suspected cases for the entire Caribbean outbreak increased nearly 20 percent in the week, to 29,760.

The French-speaking islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe continue to be the most seriously affected by chikungunya. Martinique is reporting 1,473 confirmed cases and an astonishing 16,000 suspected cases, along with two deaths. Guadeloupe has seen 1,261 confirmed and 4,710 suspected chikungunya cases, with one death.

The French side of the island of St. Martin has reported three chikungunya deaths. There have been 793 confirmed cases and 2,980 suspected cases. Chikungunya was first detected in the Western Hemisphere on French St. Martin in early Dec. 2013.

The spread of chikungunya on the South American mainland continues to be slow but steady. French Guyana reported 46 confirmed cases, an increase of four from last week. Unlike several of the French islands, Guyana is not reporting suspected cases to the ECDC.

The British and Dutch islands that have reported chikungunya cases reported no new cases this week. Based upon the reporting history since Jan., it appears that these smaller governments are making less frequent reports to the ECDC. Timely testing is an issue for these islands, with patient specimens being sent to other islands such as Trinidad for processing.

The Dominican Republic began investigating an outbreak of illnesses with chikungunya symptoms in mid-March. On April 4, the Health Minister, Dr. Freddy Hidalgo Núñez, announced that testing done by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta had confirmed chikungunya was present. Today’s data represents the first official case counts after that announcement.

Chikungunya is carried by the Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The mosquito is common throughout tropical and sub-tropical North and South America. The University of Florida, in its presentation on Ae. aegypti, notes that the species has been found in at least 23 U.S. states.

The Yellow Fever mosquito is highly adapted to feeding off humans. It is an aggressive day biter, and will bite indoors as well as outdoors. The species breeds in containers with rainwater in them such as empty cans, gutters, unattended pet bowls and bird baths.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For more on this story go to:

http://www.examiner.com/article/dominican-republic-releases-first-chikungunya-case-numbers