MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Caribbean Chikungunya cases over half a million, says PA health organization

PAHO said that the total figure for the mosquito-borne disease had reached 513,393 cases compared with 473,523 cases a week earlier.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says the number of new cases of the Chikungunya in the Caribbean increased by nearly 38,000 last week with the Dominican Republic having the most cases.

PAHO said that the total figure for the mosquito-borne disease had reached 513,393 cases compared with 473,523 cases a week earlier.

The new figures include suspected and confirmed illnesses that are locally acquired and imported cases. The Dominican Republic accounted for 26,012 of the new cases and more than half of all cases, with an overall total of 307,933, according to PAHO.

By contrast, the neighboring French Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country of Haiti recorded only 50 new cases – all classified as suspected – for an overall total of 64,709.

The death toll in the epidemic, which began last December, grew by six, to 32. PAHO said all deaths were in Martinique, where the toll is now 19. The country’s overall case count reached 54,075, or 3,620 more than the week before.

The figures for the Caribbean show that Dominica had the highest suspected cases of 3, 559 with 141 confirmed while St. Lucia had 214 suspected cases with 67 confirmed.

According to the PAHO figures, St. Vincent and the Grenadines had recorded 329 suspected cases with 67 confirmed.

In total, the Caribbean countries had a total of 4, 135 suspected cases with 527 confirmed. PAHO said 35 of these cases were imported from another country.