A new mosquito-borne illness is taking hold in the eastern US, with Delaware health officials warning residents to take proper precautions to prevent transmission.
Called Chikungunya, the virus causes debilitating joint pain, strong fever and rashes. No one in Delaware has reported the illness, but there have been at least two cases in Philadelphia, with others in New Jersey and Maryland.
Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported 234 cases through July 15. CDC officials say nearly all of those people contracted the virus in foreign countries.
But last week, a Florida man came down with the first case of the illness originating in the US.
Despite being discovered in the 1950s in Africa, Dr. Awe Maduka-Ezeh, an infectious disease specialist for the Delaware Department of Public Health, says there’s no treatment available.
“Unfortunately at this point, there’s no vaccine either,” says Maduka-Ezeh. “So with regard to if an individual comes down with this illness, it’s really just supportive care. So you might use fever reducers like Tylenol.”
The virus takes hold between three and seven days after someone is bit by an infected mosquito. It disproportionately affects newborns and people over the age of 65, as well as those with high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
Most who contract the disease report feeling better within one week, but some develop long-term joint pain.
Maduka-Ezeh notes that the First State has two species of mosquitoes that carry the virus: the yellow fever and the Asian tiger mosquitoes.
Even though Delaware is home to nearly 60 different species of the insect, Maduka-Ezeh says these two specifically act as incubators for the disease to morph into its final form.
“It has to be a mosquito that has a genetic makeup, if you will, that allows the germ to undergo these changes, so that when the mosquito takes the next bite, it’s now in a situation where it can be transmitted to the next person.”
Officials say to wear long clothing while outside, use mosquito repellant and take steps to remove standing bodies of water near your home to help ward off the insect.