News 15 Jul, 2014 Caribbean - Chikungunya Virus Introduction Club correspondents Steers/Cariconsult International, Bridgetown, Barbados have advised the Club of an ongoing outbreak of Chikungunya virus in the Caribbean. The Chikungunya virus is transmitted by two types of infected mosquito, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus, which are easily identified by white bands on their legs. Chikungunya is not fatal, but the symptoms can be severe and debilitating. There is no vaccine, therefore treatment is aimed at relieving the symptoms. The World Health Organisation reports that between December 2013 and March 2014 there were 8,000 suspected cases of Chikungunya in the Caribbean region. The islands affected are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Symptoms Symptoms are similar those of Dengue Fever and usually appear between four and eight days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Typical signs include fever and joint pain, sometimes accompanied by muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and a rash. The symptoms usually last a few days but in some cases may last for weeks. Subject to medical advice, sufferers are generally advised to drink plenty water to prevent dehydration and take medicines such as paracetamol to relieve fever and pain. Precautionary Measures Mosquitoes tend to bite between dawn and dusk, with possible peaks of biting activity in the early morning and late afternoon. Mosquitoes breed in water; therefore higher concentrations of mosquitoes may be expected in and around still water areas, even small puddles of rainwater. To discourage mosquito activity, containers such as buckets holding standing water should be emptied, covered or removed, and any areas of standing water on deck should be brushed away