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Chikungunya in the Americas and Caribbean

09 August 2017

The latest report from PAHO/WHO Link shows continuing transmission of chikungunya in the Americas and the Caribbean. Brazil remains the country with the largest case number( 131749) and highest incidence (62.37/100 000).

PAHO/WHO report suspected cases and confirmed cases as separate figures. These have been combined below, showing confirmed cases as a subset of the total.

Country groupings are as described by PAHO/WHO.

North America

Mexico: total 20, confirmed 20 (incidence 0.02/100 000)

Central America

Costa Rica: total 235, confirmed 6 (incidence 4.79/100 000)

El Salvador: total 365, confirmed 0 (incidence 5.92/100 000)

Guatemala: total 200, confirmed 0 (incidence 1.18/100 000)

Nicaragua: total 561, confirmed 13 (incidence 9.02/100 000)

Panama: total 1 589, confirmed 19 (incidence 39.22)

Andes

Bolivia: total 3 141, confirmed 22 (incidence 28.42/100 000)

Colombia: total 747, confirmed 4 (incidence 1.52/100 000)

Ecuador: total 155, confirmed 155 (incidence 0.93/100 000)

Peru: total 1 429, confirmed 545 (incidence 4.44/100 000)

Venezuela: total 98, confirmed 7 (incidence 0.31/100 000)

Southern Cone

Brazil: total 13 1749, confirmed 66 576 (incidence 62.37/100 000)

Paraguay: total 744, confirmed 5 (incidence 10.92/10 000)

Latin Caribbean

French Guiana: total 172, confirmed 37 (incidence 60.99/100 000)

Guadaloupe: total 9, confirmed 9 (incidence 1.91/100 000)

Martinique: total 14, confirmed 14 (incidence not given)

Puerto Rico: total 8, confirmed 8 (incidence 0.22/100 000)

Saint Barthelemy: total 3, confirmed 3 (incidence 42.86/100 000)

Saint Martin (France): total 3, confirmed 3 (incidence 9.38/100 000)

Advice for Travellers

No vaccine is available against Chikungunya. Mosquito bite avoidance is the only method of reducing the risk of infection.

All travellers to endemic regions should be aware of the risk of CHIKV infection and be advised to practise strict bite avoidance measures, see Mosquito Bite Avoidance.

Aedes mosquitoes are particularly persistent and aggressive and bite primarily during the day.

Methods of bite avoidance include:

  • Wearing long, loose, lightly coloured clothing to cover up the skin during the day.
  • The use of insect repellant containing DEET applied to any exposed skin.
  • When sunscreen and DEET are used together, DEET should be applied after sunscreen. The effectiveness of repellent reduces more rapidly than sunscreen, therefore, repellent may have to be reapplied on top of sunscreen.
  • The use of permethrin, impregnated mosquito nets protects against early morning bites and should also be used when sleeping during the day.
  • The use of air conditioning if available and/or mesh screening of windows and doors.
  • Eradication of mosquito breeding sites around accommodation/home (e.g. open containers, old tyres or flower pots that may collect water)

For further information see Chikungunya.