By Jessica
FirgerCBS NewsJuly 17, 2014, 6:18 PM
First
case of chikungunya 
virus contracted in U.S.
The chikungunya fever outbreak
is heating up.
U.S. health officials on Thursday confirmed two locally acquired
cases of chikungunya in Florida. In Puerto Rico, the government has declared an
epidemic of the mosquito-borne virus, with reports of more than 200 diagnosed
cases since June 25 in San Juan and surrounding areas.
On Thursday, the CDC confirmed a 50-year-old
male in Palm Beach, Fla. was diagnosed with the virus, and had not recently
traveled outside the country. Florida state health officials are also reporting
a 41-year-old woman in Miami Dade County has been diagnosed with locally
transmitted chikungunya. The CDC has not yet provided confirmation on
the second case.
Local transmission occurs when
the insect bites a person with the infection and then transmits the virus by biting others.
NOTE: READ THAT LINE
CAREFULLY....
MOSQUITO BITES "THE
CARRIER OF THE VIRUS" THEN "TRANSMITS
IT
BY BITING OTHER PEOPLE"
THIS TURNS EVERY ONE BITTEN BY THAT
MOSQUITO INTO A "CARRIER"
"The Department has been conducting statewide monitoring for
signs of any locally acquired cases of chikungunya." said Dr. Anna Likos,
in a statement.
"We encourage everyone to take precautions
against mosquitoes to prevent chikungunya and other mosquito-borne diseases by
draining standing water, covering your skin with clothing and repellent and
covering doors and windows with screens."
INSERT: CUT
DOWN TALL GRASS AND WEEDS KEEP IT CUT.
EMPTY RAIN FILLED BOWLS, FLOWER POTS, ANIMAL DISHES,
TIRES, ANYTHING THAT CAN HOLD "ANY WATER" EVERY DAY !!
GET RID OF LEAVES AND PILES OF LEAVES.
DITCHES WITH STANDING WATER NEED TO BE EMPTIED.
FIND SOMETHING THAT WILL NOT KILL ANIMALS, BIRDS, WILD LIFE, DOGS,
CATS, WHO WILL DRINK OUT OF DITCHES, AND PUT
INTO STANDING WATER
WHICH YOU CAN NOT EMPTY... SMALL AMOUNTS OF DAWN
LIQUID DISH
DETERGENT MIGHT DO THE TRICK... DIAMATEOUS EARTH
MAY ALSO WORK.
EMPTY BIRDBATHS.. REFILL WITH FRESH WATER... EMPTY AT NIGHT
DO EVERY DAY AND NIGHT !!
WEAR LONG SLEEVED CLOTHES AND LONG PANTS, SOCKS
--COVER
NECK AND HEAD...
COVER CHILDREN, BABIES, AND PETS --
DON'T FORGET GRANNY AND GRANDPA !!
CHECK OUTSIDE PETS --- MAKE SURE MOSQUITO'S DO NOT
RIDE INTO YOUR HOUSE IN THE FUR OF A DOG OR CAT.
SKIN SO SOFT - SPRAYED OR RUBBED ONTO SKIN MAY
PREVENT BITES.
On Thursday, Puerto Rico's health department reported that 89
percent of chikungunya cases are contained in the metro area: San Juan,
Carolina and Bayamón. Officials said health insurance plans will be required to
cover the cost of testing for the virus.
Chikungunya -- an African word that loosely
translates as "contorted with pain" -- is most commonly found in
Asia and Africa, and began appearing in the Caribbean last winter.
Between 2006 and 2013, there were approximately 28 reported cases
of the virus each year in travelers returning to the U.S.
This year, travel-related chikungunya has been diagnosed in
patients who have recently visited to the Caribbean.
As of July 15, there were a total of 357 cases of chikungunya
reported by the U.S. and other territories to ArboNET, a national surveillance system
that keeps track of mosquito-borne illnesses.
Of that number, 123 cases were reported from Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the remaining cases were detected in people
who had recently returned from the Caribbean or South America.
The first locally transmitted case of chikungunya in the Caribbean
was confirmed in December in French St. Martin. Since then the number of
reported cases in the Caribbean has continued to rise. In
April, for example, health officials in the Dominican Republic said
there were 3,500 suspected cases since the virus was first discovered on
the island, just the month before.
In the last few months the CDC and other health agencies have
issued travel warnings for the Dominican Republic, St. Martin and other popular vacation destinations.
Chikungunya is a virus transmitted to people through
two species of mosquitoes,
Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
Both species are found in the southeastern U.S. and in
limited areas throughout other parts of the country.
The CDC is uncertain what course the virus will take in the U.S.,
though epidemiologists say it's unlikely to trigger outbreaks. However, West Nile virus, another mosquito-borne
virus, is making its presence felt this season.
Symptoms of chikungunya include fever, muscle and joint pain, headaches and rash. Though
rarely fatal, the virus can be extremely
painful and debilitating.
Currently, there is no vaccine for chikungunya.
Patients typically recover from infection in about a week, though pain can persist for longer.
According to the CDC, an infection is believed to provide
lifelong immunity to the virus. NOTE: "BELIEVED"means, "they
don't know" !!
NOTE; It's things like this that
can stir up pre-existing conditions... like arthritis etc.
News VIDEO -- click link
