New York health officials on Tuesday confirmed the state’s first locally acquired case of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus in an individual who fell ill in Nassau County on Long Island.
The announcement marks the first locally acquired case reported in any U.S. state or territory since 2019, and the first reported in any U.S. state since 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The New York State Department of Health confirmed the case on Tuesday after lab testing came back positive for the virus.
“Given the much colder nighttime temperatures, the current risk in New York is very low,” New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald said in a statement. “We urge everyone to take simple precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites.”
State health officials said the “precise source of exposure is not known,” though it confirmed the case was acquired locally “based on current information.”
Chikungunya is rarely fatal, but it often causes severe joint pain and a fever. Other symptoms include headaches, muscle pain, joint swelling or rashes.
Symptoms typically subside within a week, but joint pain can linger for months in some cases.
The CDC says people can contract the virus if they’re bitten by an infected mosquito. When a mosquito bites an infected person, that mosquito becomes infected and can then spread the virus to other people. People rarely spread the virus to other people.
Chikungunya cases have surged worldwide this year, in particular in the Americas. China has seen its largest outbreak since the virus was first reported there in 2008.
