Another African virus crosses oceans with humans and mosquitoes

An African virus, carried by mosquitoes, is spreading to the west. The virus, called Chikungunya, does not have a vaccine and there is no treatment for it. A health expert expressed fears over the recent spread of the disease to France, Italy, India and a French Island called Reunion, saying that the U.S. and Europe are threatened by the bug. Carried by mosquitoes, the virus began to spread outside of Africa about four years ago. Speaking at a meeting about airplanes and air travel, Dr. James Diaz said "We're very worried." Diaz is from the Louisiana University Health Sciences Center. "Unlike West Nile virus, where nine out of 10 people are going to be totally asymptomatic, or may have a mild headache or a stiff neck, if you get Chikungunya you're going to be sick. The disease can be fatal. It's a serious disease. There is no vaccine." According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the virus was found in a Tanzanian victim in 1952 and has been identified as the source of "numerous human epidemics in many areas of Africa, Asia and most recently in limited areas of Europe." The CDC states that the virus is rarely fatal. The disease, if contracted, is not a pleasant experience. Victims often experience severe joint pain, and other symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, and a rash. The symptoms are reported to last for weeks, but some people say the joint pain can persist for months, even years, after recovery. Carried by the Asian Tiger mosquito, which lives all around the world, scientists fear the virus will now make its way to the West. The disease is spread by human-mosquito-human contact. Air travel is seen as the means for dissemination of the disease around the world. The World Health Organization says that in an 11-month period between 2005-2006, 1,722 cases were diagnosed on Reunion Island by doctors. A model created to show how the virus might spread showed that 110,000 people might have been infected by the virus during that one year period. The disease can spread rapidly, and the CDC report on Reunion Island cases said that in a one week period, 326 cases were reported. The WHO also says that the disease is rarely fatal. Research by Sandro Cinti, Chikungunya Fever An Emerging Infection, published in January 2009 demonstrates that the virus is a source of concern because of its quick spread and because it is a cause of death. According to Diaz, malaria is still the most common cause of infectious death