Chikungunya outbreak grows by another 300 cases, first cases reported in South America

The outbreak of chikungunya continues it’s trek through the Caribbean as the region has confirmed another 293 cases during the past week, while suspected cases near 6,000, according to a European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) update Feb. 21.

Female Aedes aegypti mosquito
Image/James Gathany

The European health organization reports the new confirmed cases from the following islands: Saint Martin (FR) (58), Martinique (99), Saint Barthélemy (10), Guadeloupe (82). In addition new cases were reported from Dominica (41).

French Guyana reported two autochthonous cases. These cases are the first autochthonous chikungunya cases in mainland South America. St. Kitts and Nevis reported the first confirmed case.

This brings the total confirmed and probable chikungunya cases in the region to 2,233. Martinique alone accounts for 943 confirmed/probable cases.

In addition, the ECDC reports, as of 21 February 2014, more than 5 900 suspected cases have been reported in the region.

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

The outbreak in the Caribbean began when two cases of autochthonous chikungunya were confirmed on 5 December 2013 in the French part of the island of Saint Martin.

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