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A major chikungunya epidemic with high mortality in northeastern Brazil
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posted on 2019-10-09, 02:42 authored by Adriana Rocha Simião, Francisca Kalline de Almeida Barreto, Rhaquel de Morais Alves Barbosa Oliveira, John Washington Cavalcante, Antônio Silva Lima Neto, Rebeca Bandeira Barbosa, Camila de Sousa Lins, Anna Giulia Meira, Fernanda Montenegro de Carvalho Araújo, Daniele Rocha Queiroz Lemos, Carlos Henrique Alencar, Luciano Pamplona de Góes CavalcantiAbstract INTRODUCTION Chikungunya causes fever and severe and persistent joint pain. METHODS We reported a chikungunya outbreak that occurred in Ceará State, Brazil between 2016 and 2017 with emphasis on epidemiological characterization of cases, high number of deaths, mortality-associated factors, and spatial and temporal spread of the epidemic among municipalities. RESULTS: In November 2015, the first autochthonous cases of chikungunya were confirmed in Ceará, Brazil. In 2016-2017, 195,993 cases were reported, with an incidence of 2,186.5/100,000 inhabitants and 244 confirmed deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid transmission and high mortality rate are serious problems, especially in regions with co-circulating arboviruses.
