The number of autochthonous chikungunya cases seen in the Americas increased by 12,121 cases during the past week, rising from 759,948 to 772,069 cases, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Aedes aegypti/CDC
Aedes aegypti/CDC

Although the overall increase in cases appears to be slowing, some countries are experiencing heavy amounts of chikungunya recently.

In South America, the number of cases in Colombia doubled in the past week jumping from 6,175 cases to 13,626.

Other notable increases include Puerto Rico, which rose by 1,500 locally acquired cases and Antigua and Barbuda nearly doubled from about 700 a week ago to approximately 1,250 cases today.

The dengue fever capital of the Americas, Brazil, saw an increase of about 150 chikungunya cases over the past week.

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. It can cause high fever, join and muscle pain, and headache. Chikungunya does not often result in death, but the joint pain may last for months or years and may become a cause of chronic pain and disability.

There is no specific treatment for chikungunya infection, nor any vaccine to prevent it. Pending the development of a new vaccine, the only effective means of prevention is to protect individuals against mosquito bites. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page