The Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County confirmed a second case of locally-acquired chikungunya fever in the area Friday. The first indigenous chikungunya case in the county was reported in a resident with an onset of July.
Health officials say the person was made aware when they visited a local hospital for treatment. The health department does not know what part of St. Lucie County the person contracted the mosquito-borne disease but they said they are recovering.
“Avoiding mosquito bites is the key to preventing infection with chikungunya and other mosquito-borne diseases,” Clint Sperber, Deputy Administrator, Florida Department of Health-St. Lucie County, said in a release. “Floridians and visitors are encouraged to take precautionary measures to help reduce the chance of being bitten. Remember to drain and cover.”
This is the seventh autochthonous chikungunya case in Florida. In addition to the two St. Lucie County cases, one case of chikungunya fever in a Miami-Dade resident with onset in June, 2014 has been reported as acquired in Miami-Dade County. Four cases of chikungunya fever in Palm Beach residents with onset in July, 2014 have been reported as acquired in Palm Beach County.
Florida has also reported 172 imported cases of chikungunya with onset in 2014 have been reported in individuals with travel history to a chikungunya endemic country or area experiencing an outbreak in the two weeks prior to onset. The majority of imported cases have been associated with travel to Haiti or the Dominican Republic. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
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