The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
44°F
Current Conditions
Scattered clouds
View complete weather report

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Mosquito-borne disease has cost the world billions, researchers say

MARATHON, FLORIDA – JUNE 09: Meredith Fensom, Oxitec’s head of global public affairs, shows off a box from where genetically engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are released on June 09, 2021 in Marathon, Florida. Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and Oxitec, a British biotech company, have begun the first-ever U.S. release of genetically engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to control the species that can carry dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever. Oxitec releases about 12,000 non-biting male mosquitoes from boxes to mate with female mosquitoes. The female offspring of the encounters cannot survive, which over time may begin to control the Aedes aegypti population. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle)
By Erin Blakemore Washington Post

The mosquito-borne disease chikungunya has a higher global burden than previously estimated, an international team of researchers reports in BMJ Global Health.

The analysis concludes that between 2011 and 2020, there were 18.7 million chikungunya cases in 110 countries, costing the world nearly $50 billion over the decade. Researchers used monitoring data from all countries reporting the disease during the study period, adjusting the numbers to reflect the likelihood that it is underreported. Then they calculated the disease’s cost across the globe, looking at expenses associated with direct medical care and estimating indirect costs like absenteeism because of the disease. They also calculated the disease’s health burden.

About 13,000 people died of chikungunya over the decade. The greatest number of cases during the study period came from Brazil, the Dominican Republic and French Polynesia. Latin America and the Caribbean bore the highest costs, the researchers write, because of high case numbers and the disease’s “rapid expansion.”

Worldwide, the bulk of the costs associated with the disease were due to chronic illness among those who survived acute chikungunya. About 7.9 million people developed chronic disease over the decade studied.

Chikungunya is caused by a virus transmitted by infected mosquitoes, resulting in fever and joint pain. In some case, symptoms can persist for years. The disease was first detected in the 1950s in sub-Saharan Africa, but according to an unrelated 2015 analysis in Antiviral Research, the disease has probably been in circulation for centuries.

Because its symptoms are similar to those of other mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue and Zika virus, the World Health Organization notes on its website, chikungunya is often misdiagnosed. There is no cure for chikungunya, and public health officials rely on vaccinations and mosquito control to prevent its spread.

“Especially considering its potential to cause explosive outbreaks and considerable long-term health consequences, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of this disease,” the researchers conclude. They call for better data collection and studies of issues like vector control.