Costa Rica Health News – This afternoon I went to do my dishes and in one of my plastic cups was a a dead Aedes mosquito. It was the first time I had actually seen one not in a picture. Dengue & Chikungunya are the only things that frighten me about living in Costa Rica.
The first reported case of the Chikungunya virus that was confirmed to originate within the borders of Costa Rica has come to pass.
There have been other Chikungunya victims, but they all acquired the virus overseas before coming to Costa Rica.
The first case of the Chikunguna Virus being caught on Costa Rican soil occurred in Parrita in the Puntarenas Province which is located about 30 minutes from Jaco.
The woman who tested positive for the first indigenous case of the virus was tended to by officials of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund. The Costa Rican Institute for Research and Education on Nutrition and Health performed the test.
The other 15 victims found to have the virus in Costa Rica came from the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The local woman became sick after hosting a Dominican at her home. This guest was sick but the symptoms went unaddressed.
The government plans to spray in areas where the patient was, to kill the mosquitoes that might infect others.
These are the same mosquitoes that carry Dengue. Chikungunya causes painful, long lasting symptoms, such as joint pain, fever and muscle pain.
To find out how to prevent Dengue and Chikungunya mosquito breeding grounds in your home Click Here.
