Dominican Republic reports 17 confirmed chikungunya cases, 767 suspected
The Department of Health in the Dominican Republic has reported 17 confirmed and 767 suspected chikungunya cases in San Cristobol province during the past week, adding to the already ballooning total of cases in the Caribbean and South America.
Image/CIA
As of Apr. 17, there are 3,972 confirmed and probable cases in 13 countries and 25,021 suspected cases, according to the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC).
While the number of new cases in the French Antilles is generally decreasing or constant, other countries like French Guiana, Dominica and Anguilla, cases are on the rise.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) Fact Sheet, Chikungunya is a viral disease that is spread by mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain.Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.
The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common.
There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya.
The disease occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In recent decades mosquito vectors of chikungunya have spread to Europe and the Americas. In 2007, disease transmission was reported for the first time in Europe, in a localized outbreak in north-eastern Italy.
The CDC notes there is currently no vaccine or medicine to prevent chikungunya. People can protectthemselves by preventing mosquito bites.
[…] The Global Dispatch Dominican Republic reports 17 confirmed chikungunya cases, 767 suspected The Global Dispatch The Department of Health in the Dominican Republic has reported 17 confirmed and 767 suspected chikungunya cases in San Cristobol… […]
This is the first official Chikungunya report from DR, not the last.
The number of cases (767) have been investigated from week 7 to 12, one month ago. And 17 samples of suspected cases sent and confirmed as infected by CDC US.
So we can reasonably think that suspected and confirmed cases are 10 (100 ?) much more !
http://www.chikungunya.net/antilles.html