The mosquito-born virus Chikungunya has spread rapidly throughout the Caribbean, reaching epidemic levels in many areas and killing over 100 people in the ten months since first detected. Previously found mostly in Africa and Asia, it is now spreading rapidly throughout the Americas, entering the United States and is sweeping through Central and South America. In December 2013, chikungunya was confirmed on the Caribbean island of St. Martin with 66 confirmed cases and suspected cases of around 181. This outbreak is the first time in the Western Hemisphere that the disease has spread to humans from a population of infected mosquitoes. By January 2014, cases were confirmed on the British Virgin Islands, Saint-Barthélemy, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. By the end of April it had spread to 14 countries including the Dominican Republic Haiti where an epidemic was declared. On June 26, a case was reported in Jalisco, Mexico. The first chikungunya case acquired in the United States were reported in Florida by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 17. Since 2006 over 200 cases have been reported in the United States but only in people who had travelled to other countries. This is the first time the virus was passed by mosquitoes to a person on the U.S. mainland. By September 2, there were 7 confirmed cases of Chikungunya in the United States in people who had acquired the disease locally. As of September 11, the number of reported cases in Puerto Rico stands at 1,636. The number of chikungunya cases in El Salvador tops 16000. Guatemala is reporting case. More than 1000 case have also been reported in Guyana. Venezuela is now inundated with chikungunya. The first domestic case in Brazil was confirmed this month and cases are also confirmed in Colombia. Based on what has happened in other countries, chikungunya could infect about 670,000 people in Colombia in the next few months - Colombian Deputy Health Minister Fernando Ruiz We were warned that changes in the climate would cause an increase and spread of mosquito carried diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, west nile fever and malaria but the cause of increased transmission can be complex. The Center for Science Education says that even in areas where drier conditions are predicted, transmission rates may still increase due to attempts to store water. “On the one hand, areas with higher rainfall and higher temperatures can expect higher rates of dengue transmission because the mosquitoes thrive in warm, moist environments. However, while it seems somewhat counterintuitive, rates of dengue transmission may actually increase in regions that are projected to become more prone to drought. This is because the Aedes mosquitoes which carry dengue breed in containers used for household water storage, and because the need for such water storage containers will increase in areas projected to be more prone to drought as climate continues to change. Thus there may likely be more habitats for dengue vectors in areas projected to become drier.” For what it is worth, on September 21st there will be a massive Peoples Climate March in New York City and many others elsewhere around the world on the same day (peoplesclimate.org/). And even less inspiring, the UNFCCC COP20 climate talks (all talk no action) takes place in Peru in December (unfccc.int/meetings/lima_dec_2014/meeting/8141.php). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikungunya
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 08:21:41 +0000