Texas arrival of new mosquito-borne virus called inevitable

Spread of the virus in the Caribbean from Oct. 2013- present. (UTMB) Spread of the virus in the Caribbean from Oct. 2013- present. (UTMB) Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Texas arrival of new mosquito-borne virus called inevitable 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

Doctors at UTMB in Galveston say a U.S. outbreak of a new, debilitating mosquito-borne disease is inevitable after locally acquired cases of it showed up in the Caribbean and Latin America for the first time.

Chikungunya (PRON chik-en-gun-ye) is spread by mosquitoes and has been gradually spreading throughout the world since an epidemic broke out in Asia in 2006.

"If the virus is loose anywhere in Central or South America it will very quickly spread everywhere," said Dr. Scott Weaver, Director of the Institute for Human Infection and Immunity. "Through land travel, it could make it to Texas."

Texas is one of 23 states in the U.S. where the two mosquitoes capable of carrying Chikungunya can survive. In northern states, cold climates kill them off.

The disease causes severe flu-like symptoms including joint pain and typically incapacitates people for a week or sometimes months. Some sufferers report symptoms up to two years later, according to experts. The name comes from a Makonde word for "that which bends up," a description for people with arthritis.

So far, the only cases reported in the U.S. have been confined to single cases where a traveler has returned home with the disease. There have been 8 million cases worldwide, according to UTMB.

Having more than 700 locally acquired cases reported across the Caribbean, a number which is rising daily, means the disease has made it into the local mosquito population and can be spread much more rapidly.

Last week three cases were reported on the South American mainland in French Guiana, leading UTMB to predict an outbreak in the U.S. by 2016.

All it takes is someone carrying the disease coming to the U.S. and being bitten by a mosquito here to infect the local bug population.

However, Weaver said any outbreak is likely to be limited.

"I don't think we'll see a widespread epidemic, it will more likely be limited to local pockets of cases," Weaver said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level One watch for travel to several islands of the Caribbean including St. Martin and Martinique, advising travelers to avoid mosquito bites by covering up and using repellants. Canada's public health authority advises the same.

The CDC knows first hand the seriousness of mosquito-born diseases. The agency estimates the West Nile virus has infected 37,000 people at a cost of $778 million since it first arrived in the U.S. in 1999.

West Nile virus has also killed 1,500 in those 14 years.

Experts say Chikungunya is rarely life threatening and potential vaccines are currently going through their first clinical trials.