Health officials warn of chikungunya illness

Correction: The Arkansas Department of Health reported six cases of chikungunya in 2014, all in people who contracted the mosquito-borne virus while traveling. This article incorrectly reported the number of cases.

Arkansas Department of Health officials are preparing for the possibility a new mosquito-borne illness could begin spreading in the state this spring.

Chikungunya originated in mosquito populations in Africa, Southern Europe and Southeast Asia. It was first reported in the Americas on islands in the Caribbean in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Just a little over a year ago, there have been over a million cases in the Caribbean," said Susan Weinstein, Arkansas Department of Health public health veterinarian. "That is an incredibly fast spread of a disease."

The virus that causes the illness reached the northern Mexico state of Sonora last week, according to the CDC. It's likely it will spread to other regions in Mexico, then to the continental United States, a release states.

Most chikungunya cases in the United States thus far were found in people who had traveled to other countries. There were a small number of cases in the Florida Keys last year.

Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain, often in the hands and feet, according to the CDC. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or a rash. Symptoms often last for about a week, but some people have joint pain that lingers for months or years.

Adults older than 65, young children, and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease are at risk for more severe illnesses, according to the CDC.

Arkansas had five cases of chikungunya in 2014, all from people who contracted the virus while traveling, Weinstein said.

"It will be unlikely that it wouldn't move [into] Arkansas," she said.

The virus is different than the mosquito-borne West Nile virus in many ways, Weinstein said. West Nile virus is typically carried by mosquitoes that come out at night and prefer to bite birds, she said.

The mosquitoes that carry chikungunya are aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus, which both prefer humans and primarily bite during the day.

"This virus does not have a bird component," Weinstein said. "It circulates from people back to mosquitoes. Hence the reason why it would be easy for it to circulate here. All someone would need to do is return from the Caribbean or Mexico and have a mosquito bite them."

Many people with West Nile virus don't have symptoms, Weinstein said.

"Anywhere from 75 to 90 percent of people who get chikungunya are very aware. They get sick," Weinstein said.

West Nile virus spread quickly across the country because the population of mosquitoes that carry it live everywhere in the U.S., said Kristen Nordlund, CDC spokesman. Mosquitoes that carry chikungunya, however, survive only in the southern region of the country, she said.

The CDC has begun research on chikungunya since it spread to the Caribbean, Nordlund said. It will be up to state and local governments to prepare for it, she said.

Arkansas Health Department officials have been meeting in recent weeks to discuss the virus, Weinstein said. Information about the illness was sent to health care providers in the state.

The Health Department also recently collected information on which counties have mosquito management plans. That includes spraying to kill mosquitoes, spreading larvicide in bodies of water and trapping mosquitoes to identify what viruses they are carrying.

Only 18 counties in the state have any type of mosquito management program, data collected by the Health Department shows. Of those 18 counties, only Pulaski, Arkansas, Craighead, Green and Desha have spraying, larvicide and trapping programs.

Weinstein said treating large bodies of water may not be effective on killing mosquitoes that carry chikungunya because they typically breed in small water pools.

It's still possible for the management programs to help.

"I think spraying will help cut down on mosquitoes," Weinstein said.

The CDC recommends people avoid mosquito bites by using insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus and paramenthane-diol products. It also recommends the use of permethrin-treated clothing along with long-sleeved shirts and long pants when weather permits.

NW News on 01/10/2015

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