Three new cases have been confirmed in the Eastern Caribbean but Barbados officials say chikungunya has not been confirmed in Barbados.
The Barbados Ministry of Health continues to be vigilante and upgrade its level of surveillance and monitoring since the outbreak in the French Caribbean island of St. Martin. The latest confirmation of the disease was confirmed in Antigua.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) said that between December 6, 2013 and April 11, this year. Ten territories within the region reported the virus as having been confirmed.
Some countries have advised (unofficially) suggesting that those who travel to the Caribbean take special precautions by using repellants, wearing pants and long sleeved shirts, sleeping under a mosquito net and taking special care of babies and the elderly.
Chikungunya is spread by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito which causes dengue fever, as well as the Aedes albopictus mosquito. The symptoms are similar to dengue fever with high fever, headache, rash, nausea and muscle pain. Major symptoms also include severe stiffness in the joints which can last much longer than when the infection has passed. The stiffness is said to be so severe as to be considered arthritic.
