#chikungunya

#chikungunya

By the end of the summer months, people in Cuba, especially in the western end of the island, were wondering what rare disease had them bedridden, with body aches and swelling, fevers as high as 40C, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and even skin blemishes. In Matanzas, the epicenter of the disaster, entire families reported infections, which then spread to every neighborhood, then to the entire province, almost encompassing the entire country.

The state Department of Health said Tuesday that the virus, which has been spreading in China and elsewhere, was identified in a person living in Nassau County on Long Island. The county's health department, in a separate statement, said the person began experiencing symptoms in August after having traveled outside of the region, but not out of the country. It's not clear how exactly the person, whom authorities have not named, contracted the virus.

Due to the spread of tiger mosquitoes, France is now reporting rising numbers of cases of what were previously considered to be 'tropical' diseases such as chikungunya, Zika, dengue fever and West Nile virus. It's still true that the majority of cases of chikungunya, Zika, dengue and West Nile fever in France occur in people who have recently been in an area where those illnesses are endemic, such as Asia, the Caribbean or the Pacific Islands.

The CDC's update includes a warning for Americans regarding polio, identifying it as "Level 2" and advising increased precautions during international travel.

The most common symptoms of chikungunya are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms can include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.

In 2025, 81 of the 96 metropolitan départements of France had been colonised by tiger mosquitoes, which spread dengue fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus.