Chikungunya in the Americas and Caribbean (Update 2)
29 Sep 2017
Chikungunya continues to be transmitted in the Americas and the Caribbean. Brazil remains the country with the largest case number( 171 930) and highest incidence (81.39/100 000).
Case numbers by country are shown below. Country groupings are as described by PAHO/WHO.
North America
Mexico: 48
Central American Isthmus
Costa Rica: 315
El Salvador: 437
Guatemala: 292
Nicaragua: 672
Panama: 2 020
Latin Caribbean
French Guiana: 172
Guadaloupe: 1
Martinique: 24
Puerto Rico: 8
Saint Barthelemy: 3
Saint Martin: 3
Andean Area
Bolivia: 3 234
Colombia: 890
Ecuador: 185
Peru: 1456
Venezuela: 255
Southern Cone
Brazil: total 171 930, confirmed 121 734 (incidence 81.39/100 000)
Paraguay: total 744, confirmed 5 (incidence 10.92/100 000)
Advice for Travellers
No vaccine is available against chikungunya. Avoidance of mosquito bites is the only reliable means of prevention. Methods of bite avoidance include:
- Wearing long, loose, lightly coloured clothing to cover up the skin.
- The use of insect repellant containing DEET applied to any exposed skin.
- The use of permethrin, impregnated mosquito nets.
- The use of air conditioning if available and/or mesh screening of windows and doors.
- Eradication of mosquito breeding sites around the home (e.g. open containers, old tyres or flower pots that may collect water).
For further information see Chikungunya Fever.