Chikungunya cases up 69% in Brazil to date
Nearly 100,000 probable cases reported through March 22, 2024
While the world watches the dengue epidemic in Brazil, where the 2 million case threshold was crossed last week, another mosquito-borne viral disease is also well higher that what was seen during the same period in 2023.
According to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health Friday, 99,252 total chikungunya virus cases have been reported to date, up 69 percent compared to the 58,586 cases reported in 2023 for the same period.
Minas Gerais state reports nearly two-thirds of the total (64 percent) with 63,204 of the country’s total.
So far, 37 deaths attributed to chikungunya have been reported and another 73 are under investigation.
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans through by mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus. The mosquitoes involved in transmission are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
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The most common symptom is an abrupt onset of fever, often accompanied by joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. Severe joint pain usually lasts a few days but can persist for months or even years. Serious complications are uncommon, but atypical severe cases can cause long-term symptoms and even death, especially in older people and in children under one year old.
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There is no specific treatment for chikungunya. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.
A vaccine (Ixchiq) was recently approved in the United States for adults aged 18 years and older by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).