Patients with chikungunya are hospitalized following infection. AFP via Getty Images

New York health officials recently confirmed the state’s first locally-acquired case of chikungunya virus, marking the first such case in the United States since 2019. The case, identified in Nassau County on Long Island, signals that mosquitoes capable of transmitting this virus may now be present in the region.

What Causes Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a viral disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus is most common in Africa, Asia, India and South America, but has now been reported in more than sixty countries worldwide. The primary vectors are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes—the same species tha

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