Chikungunya virus may soon spread to US: experts

The mosquito-borne chikungunya virus may soon spread to the US, scientists say.
The virus has been the subject of increasing attention as it spreads throughout South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico.
This painful and potentially debilitating disease is predicted to soon spread to the US, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr Scott Weaver from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has been studying chikungunya for more than 15 years.
Since chikungunya was first identified in 1952 in present-day Tanzania, the virus has been confirmed in other African countries, Asia, The South Pacific and Europe.

In December 2013, the first locally acquired case of chikungunya in the Americas was reported in the Caribbean.

Since then, chikungunya has been identified in 44 countries or territories throughout the Americas with more than 1.3 million suspected cases reported to the Pan American Health Organisation from affected areas.
Symptoms appear about three days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms and signs are fever and severe joint pain and may include headache, arthritis, muscle pain, weakness and rash.
Some patients will feel better within a week but others develop longer-term joint pain that can last weeks to years.

People at increased risk for severe disease include young children, older adults and people with medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
Other than anti-inflammatory drugs to control symptoms and joint swelling, there are no specific therapies to treat infected persons and no licensed vaccines to prevent chikungunya fever.
"Chikungunya continues to be a major threat to public health around the world," said Weaver.
"Until there is a treatment or vaccine, the control of chikungunya fever will rely on mosquito reduction and limiting the contact between humans and the two virus-carrying mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus," said Weaver.

These efforts generally focus on reducing or treating standing water and water storage containers where eggs are laid and larvae develop as well as wearing protective clothing and/or insect repellent.