What do I need to know before I travel?
Public Health Scotland logo

Fit for Travel Logo

Information on how to stay safe and healthy abroad. About us.

Chikungunya in the Americas and Caribbean (Update 2)

29 Sep 2017

Chikungunya continues to be transmitted in the Americas and the Caribbean. Brazil remains the country with the largest case number( 171 930) and highest incidence (81.39/100 000).

Case numbers by country are shown below. Country groupings are as described by PAHO/WHO.

North America

Mexico: 48 

Central American Isthmus

Costa Rica: 315

El Salvador: 437

Guatemala: 292

Nicaragua: 672

Panama: 2 020

Latin Caribbean

French Guiana: 172

Guadaloupe: 1

Martinique: 24

Puerto Rico: 8

Saint Barthelemy: 3

Saint Martin: 3

Andean Area

Bolivia: 3 234

Colombia: 890

Ecuador: 185

Peru: 1456

Venezuela:  255

Southern Cone

Brazil: total 171 930, confirmed 121 734 (incidence 81.39/100 000)

Paraguay: total 744, confirmed 5 (incidence 10.92/100 000)

Advice for Travellers

No vaccine is available against chikungunya. Avoidance of mosquito bites is the only reliable means of prevention. Methods of bite avoidance include:

  • Wearing long, loose, lightly coloured clothing to cover up the skin.
  • The use of insect repellant containing DEET  applied to any exposed skin.
  • The use of permethrin, impregnated mosquito nets.
  • The use of air conditioning if available and/or mesh screening of windows and doors.
  • Eradication of mosquito breeding sites around the home (e.g. open containers, old tyres or flower pots that may collect water).

For further information see Chikungunya Fever.