CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials with the state Department of Health and Human Resources have confirmed West Virginia’s first case of chikungunya — a virus that spreads through mosquito bites.
At this point, those with the DHHR will only say the infected person was treated in western West Virginia.
Symptoms of the disease include joint pain, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, nausea, rash, vomiting and fever. Those symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Chikungunya is most commonly carried in mosquitos in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. However, cases of the disease have been growing in number in recent months in more than a dozen U.S. states with most of those cases connected to travelers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is currently no vaccine or medicine available to prevent chikungunya. Health officials said people can protect themselves by taking steps to prevent mosquito bites.