Hoosiers traveling to Rio for the Olympics should be aware of more than just one mosquito-borne illness.
Two summers ago, seven Hoosiers contracted the chikungunya virus while traveling in Caribbean. Now some experts are pointing to the viral infection as another concern ahead of the Olympics.
Chikungunya can be confused with Zika because many of the symptoms are the same, but there is one difference, said Max Jacobo Moreno-Madrinan, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Science at IUPUI’s Fairbanks School of Public Health.
“So even though the person has already passed the stage of the rash and the fever and headaches, it comes back after a couple of months with a huge pain of the joints,” he said.
Dengue is another virus that could threaten travelers this month.
Moreno-Madrinan said because of socio-economic conditions, like no running water, people in Rio store water in open containers for regular household purposes.
“Laundry, drinking water, those reservoir waters, those reserved waters are a perfect breeding sites for the mosquitos,” he said.
Since there are no available vaccines or treatment for these viruses, health experts say prevention is key and advise wearing long sleeves, pants and repellent.
These viruses are not usually fatal and Zika is the only one associated with the birth defect microcephaly.
Rio officials also report as the weather gets cooler the number of cases has dropped.
