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posted by martyb on Sunday July 20 2014, @11:23PM   Printer-friendly
from the bug-bite-brings-big-bother--better-bash-bothersome-buggers dept.

Florida health officials and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced the nation's first locally acquired chikungunya cases.

Symptoms: People infected with chikungunya virus typically develop fever and joint pain. Other symptoms can include muscle aches, headaches, joint swelling or rash. Infection with chikungunya virus is rarely fatal, but the joint pain can often be severe and debilitating.

A statement today from the CDC described the first of two local chikungunya cases reported in Florida, in a man who had not traveled outside the United States. The agency said it is working closely with the Florida Department of Health to explore how the patient got sick with the virus.

The Florida Department of Health (FDH) said today it has detected two locally acquired cases, one in Miami-Dade County and the other in Palm Beach County. The counties are on Florida's southern tip, about 70 miles apart: Palm Beach County to the west and Dade County to the east.

This is a notable, but not surprising, development given the rising number of infected travelers returning from the Caribbean outbreak region. In a related development, Puerto Rico health officials declared a chikungunya epidemic, due to a rapidly rising number of cases there.

See also:

[NOTE: updated to correct malformed links.]

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  • (Score: 2) by frojack on Monday July 21 2014, @12:54AM

    by frojack (1554) on Monday July 21 2014, @12:54AM (#71648) Journal

    The second and third things that look like links are apparently broken, either that or someone decided to use empty links as underlines.

    --
    No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 21 2014, @02:45AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 21 2014, @02:45AM (#71681)

      [Off-Topic] An empty anchor phrase got left behind by accident and has now been fixed. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

      [On-Topic] As a public service announcement: There is no known cure. It seems the best that medicine can do for you at this time is treat it symptomatically: medicate/treat the fevers and aches and let your body fight it out. Over the course of a week or so.

      Be especially wary when traveling to areas where outbreaks have been reported. Use bug repellant, avoid infested areas, and try to minimize skin exposure. The CDC even goes so far as to suggest using mosquito netting at night as well as using air conditioning with windows closed. This is serious. Don't be *that* person who brought it back from their vacation and fed it to the local mosquitoes for spreading.

  • (Score: 2) by Subsentient on Monday July 21 2014, @01:05AM

    by Subsentient (1111) on Monday July 21 2014, @01:05AM (#71650) Homepage Journal

    Is a territory of the United States. Fail.

    --
    "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
    • (Score: 3, Informative) by Adamsjas on Monday July 21 2014, @01:21AM

      by Adamsjas (4507) on Monday July 21 2014, @01:21AM (#71654)

      Its a commonwealth of the United States. By choice, not conquest.

  • (Score: 2) by davester666 on Monday July 21 2014, @06:59AM

    by davester666 (155) on Monday July 21 2014, @06:59AM (#71728)

    "The Florida Department of Health (FDH) said today it has detected two locally acquired cases, one in Miami-Dade County and the other in Palm Beach County. The counties are on Florida's southern tip, about 70 miles apart: Palm Beach County to the west and Dade County to the east."

    Check the motels and hotels right in the middle of these two counties...old people love gettin' busy.