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Chikungunya in the Americas and Caribbean (Update 3)

20 December 2017

The latest report from PAHO/WHO on 15 December 2017 Link shows continuing transmission of chikungunya in the Americas and the Caribbean. Brazil remains the country with the largest case number( 171 930) and highest incidence (81.39/100 000).

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. All incidences are per 100 000 population.

North America

Mexico: Total 54, Confirmed 54 (Incidence 0.04)

Central American Isthmus

Costa Rica: Total 428, Confirmed 42 (Incidence 8.73)

El Salvador: Total 554, Confirmed 0 (Incidence 8.98)

Guatemala: Total 349, Confirmed 0 (Incidence 2.05)

Nicaragua: Total 755, Confirmed 24 (Incidence 12.14)

Panama: Total 2 046, Confirmed 50 (Incidence 50.51)

Latin Caribbean

French Guiana: Total 261, Confirmed 46 (Incidence 92.55)

Guadaloupe: Total 56, Confirmed 56 (Incidence 11.86)

Martinique: Total 54, Confirmed 54 (Incidence 13.64)

Puerto Rico: Total 8, Confirmed 8 (Incidence 0.22)

Saint Barthelemy: Total 3, Confirmed 3 (Incidence 42.86)

Saint Martin (France): Total 3, Confirmed 3 (Incidence 9.38)

Andean Area

Bolivia: Total 3 354, Confirmed 22 (Incidence 30.35)

Colombia: Total 1 080, Confirmed 28 (Incidence 2.2)

Ecuador: Total 196, Confirmed 196 (Incidence 1.18)

Peru: Total 2 450, Confirmed 717 (Incidence 7.62)

Venezuela: Total 341, Confirmed 39 (Incidence 1.07)

Southern Cone

Brazil: Total 171 930, Confirmed 121 734 (Incidence 81.39)

Paraguay: Total 744, Confirmed 5 (Incidence 10.92)

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.