MOSCOW, August 7 (RIA Novosti) – The mosquito-borne virus chikungunya is spreading in New York and New Jersey, while Florida continues to lead in travel-associated cases of the disease, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.
According to data gathered by the CDC, as of August 5, the number of chikungunya cases has reached 125 in Florida, 72 in New York and 25 in New Jersey. Another 38 US states reported at least one case of contamination each.
The chikungunya virus is spread by two species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Symptoms of infection include severe joint pain, fever, headache, nausea, insomnia and conjunctivitis, but the disease is rarely fatal.
The current outbreak of chikungunya in the Americas began in late 2013 when the infection started to spread in the Caribbean. In mainland United States the first case was confirmed on July 17.
