- Persons returning from holiday cited as cause
British public health officials say they are grappling with an escalating number of cases of the devastating chikungunya virus, citing a return of holidaymakers from affected regions in the Caribbean as the reason. Public Health England, a leading health institution that has been monitoring confirmed cases of chikungunya, confirmed it is aware of 197 cases so far, of which 162 cases have been associated with travel to the Caribbean and South and Central America.
The countries from which cases have been most frequently reported include Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada. Earlier this month, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 1,600 travelers returning to the US with chikungunya. The outbreak is taking the heaviest toll in the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti and Martinique, where officials have confirmed that more than 600,000 suspected cases have been reported.
Extracted and modified from Caribbean 360
