US Embassy in Havana issues new health alert due to Chikungunya outbreak in Cuba

Miami, United States. – The United States Embassy in Havana issued this Tuesday A new health alert For the Chikungunya outbreak in Cuba and notified that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised at level two (“take additional precautions”) the alert for travelers to the island.

The diplomatic headquarters said that the situation affects the entire country and remarked that “there is no specific treatment for Chikungunya.” According to the embassy, ​​the symptoms of the disease, transmitted by mosquitoes, appear between three and seven days after the bite. The most common are fever and joint pain, and may also include headache, muscle pain, joint inflammation or skin rashes.

Most people recover in a week, although some have intense joint pain for months or years. The notice recommends that pregnant women “reconsider traveling to the affected areas, especially if it is close to their delivery date.”

The statement identifies as groups of greater risk to infected newborns at the time of childbirth, older adults (65 years or more) and people with conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.

Although the health alert acknowledges that death by Chikungunya is uncommon, he advises to consult the CDC page about the disease on the island, talk to the medical supplier about trips and vaccination options, review with insurance the possibilities of medical evacuation and seek health care before fever, joint pain, headache, myalgia, inflammation of joints or eruptions.

In A previous alertissued at the end of August, the embassy had already warned of “an increase in the number of dengue, chikungunya and Groopouche virus infections throughout Cuba.”