Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/341318
On June 25, the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County (DOH-Sarasota) con- firmed a case of chikungunya (chik-en-gun-ye) fever in an individual who recently traveled to the Dominican Republic, the department announced. "The individual is recovering from the illness," a news release says. "The concern about chi- kungunya, a disease spread by bites from infected mosquitoes, was heightened state- wide in May" when health officials started to learn of cases occurring in residents across the state who had traveled to Caribbean islands, the release adds. As of June 25, the release continued, there had been no reports of anyone acquiring chikungunya in Sarasota County, the state of Florida or in any other U.S. state, it points out. Sporadic cases of this mosquito-borne disease can occur without any relation to the current outbreak in the Caribbean, the release notes. Local health officials were notified in early spring of an isolated case of the disease in a person who had traveled to Asia. The individ- ual, who first became ill in late December, is recovering and still travels, the release adds. "Avoiding mosquito bites is the key to pre- venting infection with chikungunya and other mosquito-borne diseases," said DOH- Sarasota Medical Director Dr. William CASE OF CHIKUNGUNYA FEVER CONFIRMED IN SARASOTA COUNTY Image courtesy Florida Department of Health Sarasota News Leader July 4, 2014 Page 98