The steady flow of imported chikungunya infections linked mainly to travel to the Caribbean continued in the United States last week, with 98 more cases reported, lifting the total to 398, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday.
Cases in the Americas now total almost 475,000, with the Dominican Republic accounting for most of last week's rise.
The chikungunya epidemic in the Caribbean is continuing to spill over into the United States, with 300 imported cases identified as of yesterday, an increase of 66 from a week earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The increase was led by the Dominican Republic, which had almost 60,000 new cases.
The outbreak is making ripples in Europe as Jamaica reports its first case.
Two Florida residents have acquired chikungunya without leaving the country.
In the wake of finding smallpox vials in a storage area earlier this month and a congressional hearing today on federal lab biosecurity (see related story), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the earlier discovery also included more than 300 vials of pathogens such as influenza and dengue viruses, as
Suspected and confirmed cases now total 355,617, an increase of 48,780.
States and territories report 24 new imported chikungunya cases, the CDC said.
The outbreak total climbs to 306,837 cases, a 42,393-case increase.
