Chikungunya in the Caribbean: An Epidemic in the Making

Abstract

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus that has shown increased prevalence in the Caribbean since October 2013. There have been several outbreaks throughout Asian and African countries over the past few decades with global travel and tourism having a major impact on the further spread of this disease. Improved policies and practices for preventative measures and epidemiological surveillance must be implemented to prevent the continued transmission of chikungunya.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40121-014-0043-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Análisis filogenético del virus del chikungunya en Colombia: evidencia de selección purificadora en el gen E1

“…En el 2004 emergió nuevamente de forma epidémica en el este de África, y rápidamente se distribuyó en países tropicales y subtropicales de África, Asia y Oceanía (5,6). En 2013 llegó a la región de las Américas a través de la isla Saint Martin y en poco tiempo se diseminó por diversas islas del Caribe y varios países de la región (7)(8)(9).…”

That Which Bends Up: A Case Report and Literature Review of Chikungunya Virus

“…3 Attack rates as high as 75 % were reported in some locations, such as La Réunion and Lamu Island. 3,6 During this same outbreak, local transmission was observed for the first time in Europe, the Middle East, and Papua New Guinea. 3 CHIKV reached the Western Hemisphere in December 2013 with the first local transmission of the virus on the Caribbean island of St. Martin.…”

“…4 and 5). 3,6 While the CHIK V strain circulating in the Caribbean is limited in its ability to use Ae. albopictus as a vector, 3 there is the possibility of the virus establishing itself in a mosquitohuman or mosquito-vertebra cycle in the US or other parts of the Western Hemisphere.…”

“…6 Heavily populated urban centers with little immunity, coupled with the broad distribution of the mosquito vector and the high viral titers of returning infected travelers, suggest that the US is at high risk for an epidemic. 22 It is estimated that over 500 million people in the Americas are at risk of CHIKV infection, given the distribution of the virus and its vector.…”

Viral exanthems

“…Chikungunya has spread to the Caribbean and Americas following large outbreaks in the Indian Ocean islands, Indian subcontinent and Europe [55][56][57][58][59][60]. The expansion of geographical areas of Chikungunya-competent vectors through climate change, and the spread of the virus into new vector species such as Aedes albopictus following importation from endemic areas have been responsible for the ongoing transmission of infection.…”