New York health officials say a person who tested positive for the chikungunya virus acquired it locally, the first such case reported in the U.S. since 2019.
Chikungunya is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Officials said they have not been able to identify the mosquito pool that may have infected the individual and have found no evidence of continued transmission.
The individual, who lives in Nassau County on Long Island, began experiencing symptoms in August, officials said.
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Symptoms typically appear within a week of being bitten by an infected mosquito and often include fever and severe joint pain.
Most patients recover fully, though in rare cases the virus can cause complications affecting the eyes, heart, or nervous system. There is no specific antiviral treatment for chikungunya. Care usually involves medication to manage fever and joint pain.
The virus is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. Earlier this year, thousands of people in China were diagnosed with chikungunya. To combat the spread, health officials there reportedly used drones to locate mosquito breeding sites and introduced natural predators such as “elephant mosquitoes” and mosquito-eating fish.
