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Published On: Thu, Feb 20th, 2014

Canada health officials issue travel warning over chikungunya outbreak in the Caribbean

With the Caribbean chikungunya outbreak topping 2,000 confirmed and probable cases late last week, The Public Health Agency of Canada has issued a travel advisory Tuesday for Canadians heading to the islands.

Image/CDC

Image/CDC

Health officials offer the following recommendations for travelers:

Consult a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic at least six weeks before you travel.

  • Protect yourself from mosquito bites, particularly during peak mosquito biting times around sunrise and sunset.
  • If you develop symptoms similar to chikungunya when you are travelling or after you return, see a health care provider and tell them where you have been travelling or living.

The mosquito borne viral disease made it’s first appearance in the western hemisphere as a locally acquired infection in December on the island of Saint Martin (FR).

LISTEN: Chikungunya in the Western Hemisphere: An interview with a CDC expert

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease that was first identified in southern Tanzania in 1952. It causes fever and debilitating joint pain and is often misdiagnosed as dengue.  Chikungunya has no vaccine or specific treatment.

For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page and the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show page.

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About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

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