Americans are being advised to practice caution when traveling to a Caribbean island because of an outbreak of a deadly virus.
The CDC has placed a Level 2 travel warning on Cuba after local officials raised the alarm over an outbreak of Chikungunya virus, a painful viral infection that can leave victims bedridden for months.
The disease is spread by mosquitoes, with patients suffering a sudden fever and then joint pain in the hands and feet that can be so severe that sufferers are left unable to walk for months. In rare cases, the disease can be fatal.
Officials in Cuba have not revealed how many people are infected, but say that the outbreak is focused in Matanzas province, 60 miles east of Havana. There have been no deaths reported so far.
It is not clear what prompted the CDC advisory, but the alert comes just days after US health officials began investigating a possible locally acquired case of chikungunya on Long Island, New York, the first ever detected in the state.
The infection was detected in a woman who said she had not recently traveled off the island, home to more than eight million people and the celebrity-loved Hamptons.
And amid a surging outbreak of the disease in South America, with health officials at the Pan American Health Organization warning that Brazil, with 210,000 cases, is among the worst affected.
Globally, more than 317,000 cases and 135 deaths involving the virus have been detected this year, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which tracks international figures. In 2024, there were 620,000 cases and 213 deaths.
The above shows workers spraying insecticide in Dongguan, China, amid an outbreak of the chikungunya virus in the area (file photo)
The virus is spread by the bites of mosquitoes and, in severe cases, can cause pain in joints so severe that it leaves patients bedridden for months (stock image)
People can only catch the virus from the bite of a mosquito, and cannot become infected through bodily contact or contact with the saliva of an infected person.
Symptoms emerge about three to seven days after infection, with the most common being a sudden fever. Officials say, however, that about 15 to 35 percent of patients are asymptomatic and do not develop any symptoms.
Newborns, pregnant women and adults aged 65 years and over or who have weakened immune systems are most at risk from the virus.
There is no specific treatment for chikungunya, but patients may receive fluids and painkillers to ease their symptoms. Vaccines are available, although these are normally only recommended to people before they travel to areas where the disease is present.
In its alert on Saturday, the CDC told travelers to Cuba to practice ‘enhanced precautions’ to avoid being bitten by a mosquito.
This included wearing mosquito repellent, long-sleeved shirts and pants, and having windows or doors closed to avoid infection. They also said staying in air conditioning, which causes mosquitoes to be less active because of the lower temperature, can help.
Travelers were also recommended to get vaccinated against the virus if they were traveling to the island, with the vaccine given in one dose and being 99 percent effective at preventing a symptomatic infection.
Pregnant women are being advised not to travel to the island.
The above map shows the global tally for cases of chikungunya virus. It does not include the US because the infection here has yet to be confirmed
It is illegal to travel to Cuba from the US for tourism, but about 83,000 Americans visit the island every year under the exemptions allowed.
The US allows people to travel to Cuba for any one of 12 reasons, which include ‘support for the Cuban people’, the most popular, family visits and educational activities.
Chikungunya was first detected in Cuba in 2014, when local authorities confirmed six cases of the virus.
There were 20 cases reported in the country in 2015, but all were in travelers who had recently returned to the country from abroad according to official data.
The country’s mosquito-borne disease monitoring is hampered by low funding, suggesting that many cases go undiagnosed and unreported.
The US embassy in Cuba first raised the alarm over chikungunya on August 25, warning that local authorities were also detecting a rise in mosquito-spread dengue fever and oropouche virus cases.
Dengue fever causes symptoms including pain behind the eyes and muscle and joint pain. In rare cases, it can trigger severe bleeding.
Oropouche virus causes fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, joint pain, sensitivity to light, nausea and vomiting. Both viruses are rarely fatal.
The latest alert comes a month after a travel advisory over the chikungunya virus was expanded, with US travelers now warned over the virus if they visit any one of the following countries: Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand.
The above compares chikungunya symptoms to those from Zika virus and Dengue, which are both also spread by mosquitoes
In China, the spread of the virus triggered Covid-like restrictions in August, with disinfectant sprayed in the streets and patients quarantined in the hospitals.
Reports surfaced that Chinese authorities in the city of Foshan cut electricity to some households that were not cooperating with health checks aimed at containing the chikungunya outbreak.
Chinese officials also deployed insecticide-spraying drones, ‘cannibal’ mosquitoes and killer fish to eliminate any insects that could be carrying the virus.
Dr Louisa Messenger, a mosquito researcher in Nevada, previously told this website: ‘This outbreak in China is very concerning. It [the virus] could already be here in the US; and really it’s just one plane flight away.’
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