Rebecca Christofferson

"The answer is not ‘no.’Chikungunya is transmitted by Aedes aegypti, which we have in South Florida, South Texas, Arizona, California… a little bit in Louisiana. Dengue virus is also transmitted by this mosquito species, so we can look at where we’ve had outbreaks of dengue to see where is most at-risk: Miami, South Texas, Southern California… But chikungunya also is transmitted by the Asian Tiger Mosquito – Aedes albopictus – of which we have a lot in more temperate areas like most of Louisiana, and up into New York. This is the mosquito with the black and white stripes on her legs and a stripe down what can be thought of as her ‘head.’ So in addition to where aegypti is, we have to worry about a larger swath of the US at-risk for chikungunya. There are so many factors that contribute to how at-risk a particular place is – the temperature, the environment, etc. In places where there is mosquito avoidance infrastructure, there will be less risk."

It depends on the context and location. If you’re talking about Louisiana, then we have to remember we have the infrastructure to protect us from outbreaks – screens on the windows, AC, robust spraying in most places. It’s always good to have additional education for both clinicians and the public to enhance their understanding of what chikungunya is and what kind of disease it presents. This strengthens our ability to prevent travel-associated cases and also detect outbreaks faster and respond with increased vector control or vaccine rollout. There are also two vaccines available for chikungunya. One is a live-attenuated vaccine indicated for 18+ years old (Ixchiq) and another for 12+ (VIMKUNYA), which is a virus-like particle vaccine. (That means it’s a protein that mimics the chikungunya virus but does not replicate.) Both have been shown to prevent infection, but vaccination should always be discussed with your physicians, and you need about 2 weeks before it’s fully efficacious. So if you’re traveling, take that into account. It’s important to educate the public on how to reduce mosquito contact through personal protection (bug spray, for example) and reducing standing water where the mosquitoes lay eggs. This is especially important in areas without the kinds of infrastructure that we have in place.