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Chikungunya Cases Turn Corner on St. Thomas, St. John

It appears the chikungunya outbreak is declining on St. Thomas and St. John, but Health Department epidemiologist Dr. Esther Ellis said she’s not 100 percent sure that’s the case on St. Croix.

Ellis said she wants to watch the numbers for a few more weeks to be sure.

Some patients that suffered chikungunya symptoms early in the outbreak are still suffering.

“After the first 10 days most patients will feel an improvement, but following that period, they can have a relapse,” Ellis said.

She said it can go on for two to three months after they’re first sick. And she said the pain can be even stronger in the affected joints.

According to Ellis, in addition to the joint pain, patients can experience depression, fatigue and weakness.

Citing a South African study, she said 12 to 18 percent of chikungunya patients have persistent symptoms for 18 months to two years. She said a study in India indicated 49 percent of the patients still had symptoms after 10 months.

As of Oct. 4, the latest data available, the territory had 954 suspected cases of chikungunya. There were 55 confirmed and 19 probable cases.

St. Thomas had the most cases. There were 828 suspected cases and 63 cases classified as confirmed/probable.

St. Croix had 91 suspected and five confirmed/probable.

The number of suspected cases on St. John stands at 35, with three confirmed/probable.

However, the Health Department’s statistics will never keep pace with the actual cases because many people don’t report them or seek medical attention.

The chikungunya outbreak cased lots of comments on travel forums from visitors who complained that they had no idea the territory had this problem. However, the Centers for Disease Control warns on its website about the prevalence of chikungunya across the Caribbean, including the Virgin Islands.

Tourism Department spokesman Luana Wheatley said the department’s airport greeters in June began passing out information to arriving visitors about the outbreak and how to protect against it. However, she said that all visitors may not have received the flyer because they opted not to accept it from the greeter.

The Centers for Disease Control’s website also carries information about the outbreak.

And V.I. National Park’s website has an alert about both chikungunya and dengue. The websites for St. Croix’s national parks were down.

Chikungunya is a viral disease that is transmitted to people by mosquitoes. The first case in the region was reported on French St. Martin in December 2013.

There is currently no vaccine or medicine to prevent chikungunya. The only way to prevent chikungunya is to prevent mosquito bites.

To learn more about chikungunya and ways to prevent the spread of the virus visit www.healthvi.org or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website at www.cdc.gov/chikungunya. Call the Health Department’s Division of Public Health Preparedness at 773-1311, ext. 3280 or 642-3111. Reach Health’s Bureau of Epidemiology at 773-1311 ext. 3241 or 626-1654.

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