Florida Health officials say they expect to see more cases of chikengunya appear in the state over the summer. Polk County recently confirmed its first case of the mosquito borne illness.
Chikengunya is spread by bites from infected mosquitos and causes high fever and joint pain. The Polk County patient is the 48th case in Florida.Florida Department of Health spokesman Scott Sjoblom says the man picked up the disease in the Caribbean. And he says with travel season underway, it won’t be the last case in the state this summer.
“As those folks come back we’re going to continue to see the numbers increase for the time being”, said Sjoblom.
So far no one has contracted chikengunya from a mosquito bite here in Florida, but if an infected traveler or visitor were bitten in the early stages of the illness- that mosquito could spread the virus.
While most patients feel better after a few weeks, chikengunya can cause complications in young children and the elderly.