KS Confirms Two Cases Of Chikungunya Virus In Winfield (S. Of Wichita)
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has identified the state’s first two cases of travel-associated chikungunya virus. The patients, both of whom are adults from Sedgwick County, reported recent, but separate, travel to the Caribbean.
“Chikungunya virus can be a serious and debilitating disease, and we want travelers to be aware” said Robert Moser, MD, Secretary and State Health Officer. “It is important for persons travelling to countries where chikungunya virus infections are currently reported to take appropriate precautions to prevent exposures to mosquito bites,” Moser said.
Outbreaks of chikungunya virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, have occurred in countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Chikungunya was first established in the western hemisphere on St. Maarten, an island in the Caribbean, in December, 2013. Additional cases have been identified in a total of 19 countries throughout the Caribbean to date. Cases in the U.S. among travelers returning from these countries have been identified in several states. No local transmission has been identified in the United States mainland.
Local transmission occurs when mosquitoes in the area have been infected and are spreading it to people. However, the mosquitoes that most commonly transmit chikungunya virus – Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus – have both been identified in the U.S., including in Kansas. There is growing concern among public health officials that chikungunya virus could become established in local mosquito populations and pose additional risks to people.
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One of those mosquitos, commonly called Tiger Mosquito (?), is becoming pretty obnoxious up here in NE Kansas. I had not seen them before this year but this year I see a lot of them. My house sits by a very large pond so you can be sure we get our fair share of mosquito bites.
I have always felt fortunate, I have become essentially immune to the bites. I can watch them and feel them bite me but my body never reacts. I suppose considering the amount of bites I get out here I should be more aware of the symptoms of this. 