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.
The number of chikungunya cases imported into the United States rose by 41 in the past week, to 114, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update yesterday. The number of states reporting imported cases climbed from 22 to 27, plus the US Virgin Islands.
Cases rose sharply last week, led by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Cases include the first in Mexico and Grenada and two locally acquired infections in Venezuela.
Suriname health officials yesterday said more chikungunya infections have been detected, suggesting the possibility of local transmission, Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) reported today.
