Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, Head of the International Health Regulations (IHR) at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and epidemic response team, informed about the chikungunya epidemic in the Americas; during the 53rd PAHO Directing Council held on October 1st. The virus was first introduced into Saint-Martin in December 2013 and quickly spread to other islands of the Caribbean. In July it reached the Dominican Republic, where it has sickened over 400,000 people. Local transmission of chikungunya has also been reported in Colombia, Venezuela and Central America. As of mid-September, a total of 737,084 suspected cases had been reported from 21 countries and territories in the Americas.
Aldighieri said the disease has spread particularly rapidly because the region’s population lacked any immunity to the disease, due to lack of previous exposure. Also, other reason is because the virus perfectly matches to the Aedes aegypti, the main mosquito vector; which inhabits in most countries of this region. Moreover, “the amount of virus circulating in humans and mosquitoes in this outbreak is very high,” he said.
Chikungunya co-circulates with dengue virus, as they share the mosquito vector. They have similar clinical manifestations but a much lower case-fatality rate; most of the 113 deaths reported have been in people with chronic health conditions. The name chikungunya means “bent over” and refers to the inability of patients to stand erect due to pain. Although it is rarely fatal, chikungunya can cause joint pain that can last for months or even years, especially in older adults.
PAHO, part of the World Health Organization (WHO), has been working with its member countries to prepare for the introduction of chikungunya since 2011. Then, it collaborated with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to publish the report “Preparedness and response for chikungunya virus introduction in the Americas.” Since its introduction, PAHO has been monitoring the spread of chikungunya, organizing training on clinical awareness and case management, and deploying staff and external experts to assist affected countries.
Because the virus is carried by the same mosquito that carries dengue, the basis for controlling the disease is an integrated management strategy for dengue promoted by PAHO.
“All countries with a previous history of dengue are at high risk of chikungunya,” said Aldighieri. He encouraged countries that have already experienced the disease to share their experiences and best practices to prepare other countries of the region.
Through: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
