Mexico's Secretary of Health confirmed yesterday that the potentially fatal Chikungunya virus has made its first known appearance in this country, after a Jaliscan woman was recently diagnosed with the tropical illness.
The symptoms of Chikungunya (cheek-oon-goon-ya) closely resemble those of Dengue Fever, according to medical experts.
In March a prominent Mexico City physician and public health expert warned that the country was due for a serious outbreak of Dengue related illnesses within the next year or two. Mexican public health expert warns of Dengue outbreak.
The Jaliscan woman was diagnosed June 20, after her return from a trip to Antigua and Barbuda, a two island nation which lies in the extreme eastern Caribbean Sea. The unidentified patient is said to be in stable condition.
Mexico's National Epidemiological Center (SiNaVE) sent out a nation wide alert to hospitals and primary care physicians. The Center reported that Chikungunya is endemic in Southeast Asia and Africa, where it is carried by the same mosquito which transmits Dengue. SiNaVE says the illness is being increasingly diagnosed in Central America and the Caribbean. The typical incubation period is two to 12 days.
Chikungunya is not transmitted by casual contact with an infected person, according to health experts. There is neither a vaccine nor a cure, and the sole treatment is palliative in nature.
Feb. 24 - Dengue Fever ranking has Jalisco authorities concerned
Jan. 4 - Dengue Fever still claims lives in Mérida, but far fewer
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