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Chikungunya in the Americas and Caribbean (Update 1)

31 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( 163 135) and highest incidence (77.23/100 000).

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 44, confirmed 22 (incidence 0.02/100 000)

Central American Isthmus

Costa Rica: total 262, confirmed 6 (incidence 5.34/100 000)
El Salvador: total 386, confirmed 0 (incidence 6.26/100 000)
Guatemala: total 216, confirmed 0 (incidence 1.27/100 000)
Nicaragua: total 614, confirmed 14 (incidence 9.88/100 000)
Panama: total 1589, confirmed 19 (incidence 39.22/100 000)

Latin Caribbean

French Guiana: total 172, confirmed 37 (incidence 60.99/100 000)
Guadaloupe: total 11, confirmed 11 (incidence 2.33/100 000)
Martinique: total 24, confirmed 24 (incidence 6.06/100 000)
Puerto Rico: total 8, confirmed 8 (incidence 0.22/100 000)
Saint Barthelemy: total 3, confirmed 3 (42.86/100 000)
Saint Martin (France): total 3, confirmed 3 (9.38/100 000)

Andean Area

Bolivia: total 3205, confirmed 22 (incidence 29/100 00)
Colombia: total 797, confirmed 6 (incidence 1.62/100 000)
Ecuador: total 155, confirmed 155 (incidence 0.93/100 000)
Peru: total 1436, confirmed 587 (incidence 4.46/100 000)
Venezuela: total 98, confirmed 7 (0.31/100 000)

Southern Cone

Brazil: total 163 135, confirmed 104 298 (incidence 77.23/100 000)
Paraguay: total 744, confirmed 5 (incidence 10.92/100 000)

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.