Georgia announces first case of the Chikungunya disease

Georgia’s Department of Public Health has announced the state’s first case of the Chikungunya disease, a disease that is spread by infected mosquitos. The person infected reportedly picked up the disease from a recent visit to the Caribbean.

According to News Channel 9, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the disease was first discovered in 2013 in the Caribbean Islands. The disease has since spread throughout the entire Caribbean and to Africa and Southeast Asia. The mosquitoes pick up the disease when they bite a person who is infected with the virus and then transmit the virus to the next person they bite. The Tennessee native Aedes mosquito is the breed of mosquito most likely to transmit the virus; however, there has been no evidence that the disease is being transmitted in Tennessee. The people who are most at risk are those who travel to areas where the disease is prevalent, such as the Caribbean.
The disease, unlike West Nile, is non-fatal but still comes with various symptoms that can affect day to day life. Symptoms include fever, excruciating joint and bone pain, rashes, swelling, and headaches. The symptoms take anywhere from three to seven days to appear and usually end after a week, yet some cases last months. The disease cannot be spread by humans.

The CDC has noted more than 60 cases of the disease in the U.S. The disease has also spread like fire in the Caribbean, having affected 19 of its countries along with the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Health experts are advising everyone to take precautions to prevent the spread of disease, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted.They suggest the use of bug sprays containing Deet, protective clothing, and the use of air conditioning, to name a few.