USA TODAY – A resident of New York has contracted the state’s first known case of the mosquito-borne chikungunya disease acquired locally, officials said.
The person infected in Long Island likely got the virus after being bitten by an infected mosquito, the New York State Department of Health said in a statement. The case was confirmed through testing at the department’s Wadsworth Center.
More details about the infected person’s illness and symptoms were not shared by the department, but common symptoms can include fever and joint pain.
It’s rare for chikungunya to kill somebody, but its symptoms can be severe and debilitating, according to the health department.
The case in Nassau County marks the first time someone is believed to have contracted the virus locally; cases are typically diagnosed in people who have travelled to Africa, Asia, the Caribbean or Latin America.
Local transmission can happen when a mosquito bites an infected recent traveler, becomes infected, and then bites a healthy person and passes the virus onto them. Humans can’t spread it to each other, except in extreme cases such as blood transfusions or handling infected blood.
“Given the much colder nighttime temperatures, the current risk in New York is very low.” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “We urge everyone to take simple precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites.”
What are symptoms of chikungunya?
Symptoms include fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling and rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms usually appear between three to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. The most at-risk for severe illness are babies, people over 65 and people with certain medical conditions …
