US reports first chikungunya case: 5 tips to protect your family

Late in the summer in the US, a Nassau County resident on Long Island fell sick with fever , rash and crippling joint pain where lab tests confirmed what public-health officials feared: a locally transmitted case of chikungunya . It is the first locally acquired US case in six years and while New York State Department of Health authorities say that the immediate risk to the public is low, this one diagnosis is a reminder that mosquito-borne tropical viruses can and do show up in places we consider “safe”. Health officials announced that a Nassau County (Long Island) resident, who had not recently travelled abroad, developed chikungunya in August and tested positive after routine surveillance. Local public-health teams increased mosquito surveillance and targeted control measures whil