There is no evidence of local transmission of chikungunya, a disease caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes, in Canada.
Photo Credit: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

Canadians pick up virus in the Caribbean

More than 200 Canadians have been infected with chikungunya, a virus transmitted by infected mosquitos not native to Canada. The virus has sickened hundreds of thousands of people in the Caribbean and caused Jamaica to declare a state of emergency last weekend.

The Canadian cases have involved people returning from endemic areas, said a spokesman for Health Canada. Many Canadians like to escape the cold winter by taking beach vacations on Caribbean islands.

The disease causes fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and a rash. Most patients recover, but for some, the joint pain may persist for several months or years. There is no vaccine or treatment. Health Canada recommends people travelling to endemic regions take steps to prevent mosquito bites.

Chikungunya has been present in Africa and the Asia-Pacific for years. The first documented case in the Western Hemisphere was on the island of St. Martin last December. Since then almost 800,000 people in the Caribbean have been infected, the majority of them in the Dominican Republic.

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