MINEOLA, New York — MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A person living in New York has tested positive for chikungunya virus This is the first reported transmission of the mosquito-borne disease in the United States in six years, state health officials said.
The state Department of Health said Tuesday that the virus, which was distribution in China and other locations, was identified in a person living in Nassau County on Long Island.
The county health department said in a separate statement that the person's symptoms began in August after he traveled outside the region, but not out of the country.
It is unclear how exactly the man, whom authorities have not named, contracted the virus.
Health officials say the person was likely bitten by an infected mosquito, but they also say the virus has not been detected in local mosquito populations and there is no evidence of ongoing transmission.
Mosquitoes known to transmit chikungunya are present in parts of New York City, including suburban Long Island. The disease cannot be transmitted directly from one person to another.
Because mosquitoes are less active during cooler fall temperatures, the current risk of transmission is “very low,” state Health Commissioner James McDonald said.
Chikungunya is found primarily in tropical and subtropical regions, according to the state health department. Its symptoms include fever and joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling and rash.
The illness is rarely fatal and most patients recover within a week, although newborns, older adults and people with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes are at higher risk, the agency said.
There have been no locally acquired cases of the virus reported in the United States or its territories since 2019.
There have been three more cases of the virus reported in New York state this year, although all were linked to international travel to areas where the virus is prevalent, state health officials said.
Local mosquitoes can transmit other dangerous viruses, such as West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, and Jamestown Canyon virus.
