Puerto Rican health officials have reported an additional chikungunya death, the 14th since the outbreak hit the island nation eight months ago.
In addition, the chikungunya case count for 2014 has increased to 27,465, according to the Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico (computer translated).
In 2015 to date, Puerto Rico has seen 116 cumulative cases.
In the United States, as of January 13, 2015, a total of 2,344 chikungunya virus disease cases have been reported to CDC ArboNET from U.S. states for 2014. Eleven locally-transmitted cases have been reported from Florida.
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.
3 thoughts on “Puerto Rico reports another chikungunya fatality”