No cases of the Chikungunya virus have been recorded in Cyprus, the Health Ministry said Thursday, noting however, that the mosquitoes that transmit the virus exist on the island, therefore surveillance and prevention measures are being taken.
Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Virology, Dr Peter Karayiannis, asked by CNA, said that, at the moment, Cyprus was not at risk from the chikungunya virus, noting that the risk exists, but is a remote one, as far as Cyprus is concerned.
The Health Ministry, in an announcement, said that although the virus was not in Cyprus and no domestic cases have been recorded, “the vector (mosquito-transmitter) is present on our island, therefore surveillance and prevention measures are being taken”.
The Ministry notes that the mosquitoes that transmit the virus bite mainly during the daytime and multiply in stagnant water near homes.
In relation to the symptoms of the disease, it said that the most common symptoms appear two to seven days after the bite and include high fever, severe joint pain (mainly in the hands and feet), headache, myalgia and fatigue, while in some cases they cause a skin rash. The disease usually subsides within a few days, but joint pain can last for weeks or even months, according to the Ministry.
It recommends that the public use insect repellents, wear long clothing, especially at dawn and dusk, place screens on doors and windows, and drain any stagnant water from flowerpots, containers, buckets or other surfaces where mosquitoes can breed.
In the event of returning from a country where the virus is endemic and the aforementioned symptoms appear, it is recommended to immediately contact your personal doctor and strictly follow their instructions, it said.
Dr Karayiannis also told CNA that this is not a new virus, but that in recent years, there have been outbreaks in various parts of the planet, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, where the mosquito species which are the main carrier of this virus, are endemic.
He further said humans are infected through a bite from an infected mosquito and that there is no direct transmission from person to person. “Unfortunately, in recent years the mosquitoes that carry this virus have also invaded southern European countries, including Cyprus, in the last two to three years”, he noted.
He referred to two mosquito species, the Aedes albopticus and the Aedes aegypti, noting that, in addition to this specific virus, very often they also carry dengue and the Zika virus.
“Therefore, the risks for Cyprus at the moment are not particularly significant”, because, for wider transmission of the disease, a mosquito needs to bite an infected person, which it would result in the virus entering the local mosquito population. He noted that there have been indigenous transmissions of the virus in countries like France, for example, “not to a large extent”, therefore, he said, “the risk is real, but at the moment as far as Cyprus is concerned, remote”.
