Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Marina Demidiuk
Topics: Health, New York, US News, World News, Animals
Joe Yates
Topics: Health, New York, US News, World News, Animals
A virus that pushed China to take strict covid measures after reporting 7,000 cases is now suspected to have reached the US.
The deadly mosquito-borne virus prompted quarantines and restrictions in China this summer and it could now be in New York, after health officials confirmed they’re investigating a possible locally acquired case.
A woman living on Long Island tested positive for chikungunya in August, despite claiming she hadn’t traveled anywhere outside the island - which is home to over eight million people and even homes the celebrity hotspot, Hamptons.
If confirmed, this would mark the first ever locally acquired case in the State of New York.
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The New York Department of Health said in a statement to NTD News: "No locally acquired cases have ever been reported in New York State, and the risk to the public remains very low."
Officials are now working with local authorities to confirm test results and check mosquito populations in the area. So far, no signs of the virus have been found in local insects.
Chikungunya, which spreads through mosquito bites, is notorious for causing sudden and agonising joint pain - often leaving sufferers unable to walk or move normally for weeks, months, or even years.
The Long Island woman - who wished to remain anonymous - shared her symptoms with reporters, explaining that the pain ran from the joints in her feet up to her shoulders, describing it as if her joints were on fire and nearly pulled apart.
She fell ill on August 21.
Since January, more than 317,000 cases and 135 deaths have been reported across 16 countries.
In China, a major outbreak of over 10,000 cases triggered Covid-like measure put in place - patients were quarantined, with those ignoring the restrictions having their electricity cut off.
The virus has been steadily spreading worldwide. It’s is frequently being picked up in parts of Africa, South America, and Asia, and has recently cropped up in Europe and the US.
Historically, America has only seen small, travel-linked cases, with the last known local transmission having taken place back in 2019 in Florida and Texas.
Symptoms typically appear within a week of being bitten and include fever, joint pain, and in rare cases, life-threatening complications involving the heart or brain.
For New Yorkers, the good news is that the risk is currently considered low - but if confirmed, the Long Island case could mark the arrival of yet another mosquito-borne virus.