Another Virus Rattling China Puts America On Red Alert

A viral illness spread by mosquitoes known as chikungunya is infecting China and other nations across Africa and Europe, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel advisory for Americans.

The CDC identified outbreak countries, as well as those posing an “elevated risk” to U.S. travelers, to include parts of southern Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. Southeast Asia and South America. Roughly 240,000 cases have been reported across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas this year, with China’s Guangdong Province emerging as a hotspot, recording 7,000 confirmed infections.

“Severe symptoms and deaths from chikungunya are rare and usually occur in young babies or elderly people with other coexisting health problems,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “It is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever, frequently accompanied by severe joint pain. The joint pain is often debilitating and usually lasts for a few days but may be prolonged, lasting for weeks, months or even years. Other common signs and symptoms include joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.”

No chikungunya cases have been reported in the U.S. since 2019, and it typically spreads in tropical areas via female mosquitoes, according to the CDC.

Though the virus is not contagious, several countries are experiencing outbreaks, including Bolivia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Madagascar and other tropical island nations, according to the CDC. Other countries the CDC considers an “elevated risk” to American travelers despite no current outbreaks include Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and a number of tropical Asian island nations.