State officials have confirmed a patient in Kentucky has the nonfatal mosquito-borne virus Chikungunya, or simply "CHIK-V."
While CHIK-V is foreign to Kentucky and rarely fatal, officials say anyone in the state who has recently visited the Caribbean and begins developing symptoms should see a doctor to rule out disease. Kevin Hall with the Fayette County Health Department stresses that the likelihood of catching the virus in the Bluegrass remains very slim. "Someone would have to be bitten by an infected insect to become ill. Person to person contact does not spread the disease."
An Anderson County man who recently traveled to Haiti is the first official case identified in the state, but at least another nine are under investigation. Officials say it's possible the virus could spread beyond that number though, as Kentucky is home to both species of mosquito known to carry the virus.
