Chikungunya rises in the US and Worldwide Save

The chikungunya epidemic has grown significantly in the Western hemisphere with an additional 3,000 cases worldwide during the past week. This amounts to a total of 1,247,000 cases and 183 fatalities since first reported on the Caribbean island of St. Martin in December 2013. As of February 24th, there have been 43 travel associated cases reported from 8 US states (figure), with all traveling from endemic areas (e.g., Carribean and Pacific islands). There have been 44 cases reported in Puerto Rico and 1 from the US Virgin islands. http://url.ie/yw3b

Chikungunya is a virally transmitted from the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. It can cause high fever, joint and muscle pain, and headache. There is no vaccine or known effective treatment.