Dominican Republic Confirms Chikungunya Virus Outbreak

An outbreak of a debilitating virus has been confirmed in the Dominican Republic, according to a recent announcement made by government health officials.

Freddy Hidalgo, the Dominican Republic's Public Health Minister, announced Friday that an investigative lab report from the United Sates Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) verified what his country's own experts had been reporting, that southern parts of the Dominican Republic were in the midst of an outbreak of the chikungunya virus.

The virus, a mosquito-borne infection, most commonly causes severe joint pain, muscle pain, fever, and rash. According to the CDC, these symptoms usually begin three to seven days after a victim has been bitten by an infected mosquito, and the effects -- particularly joint pain -- can last for several months.

There is currently no proven treatment of vaccination for the virus. Thankfully, the virus rarely ever kills an infected patient. Once a patient has recovered, they are likely to have developed enough antibodies in their system to lead to an immunity from future infections.

The virus is also no contagious, meaning that for an outbreak to occur, infected mosquito populations have to be dangerously high.

According to Hildago, blood samples from patients suffering from fever and sharp join pain were sent to the CDC labs in Atlanta, Georgia. Dominican health officials were able to identify the signs of a potential outbreak in San Cristobal, located in southern Dominican Republic, earlier this year, but they lacked the proper lab facilities to conclusively verify the virus's presence.

Even prior to this confirmation, Dominican Republic health officials began to implement measures to prevent and contain outbreaks of the disease.

HIldago said that people can help eliminate lower mosquito numbers -- thus lowering the chance of the virus's spread -- by adding small amounts of chlorine to water supplies where the mosquitoes are likely to breed.

[Source: Dominican Today / CDC chikungunya virus]