Planning to live the west coast- what about chikungunya?

Hi, Marytm, and welcome!  We are also interested in the Rincon area. There is a large expat community there.  I wouldn't worry too much about the virus but you do need to spray repellent often.  Maybe if you have specific questions, some others can chime in with help.  This is a very helpful forum!

Hello Mary and welcome to Expat.com

So as to help you get more visibility and response to your post, a new thread was created from the latter on the Puerto Rico forum

I suggest you browse through the different forum categories which is found on the right hand side of this screen so as to gather as much info as possible.

Kenjee
Expat.com Team

Marytm wrote:

I'm a little nervous about going now having read about the Chikungunva Virus.

Chikungunya is no joke, but on the other hand the mortality (i.e., death) rate from the virus is basically zero. (That is, unlike other mosquito borne tropical illnesses, there are no confirmed cases of individuals that have died from this virus.) It is present throughout Puerto Rico - in fact, I have friends from the western part of the island where multiple individuals in the same family contracted Chikungunya last year. Although mortality is low in all age groups, I have heard that symptoms tend to be worst in the elderly and in people with pre-existing joint conditions, such as arthritis. Luckily no one in our family has yet been affected.

The good news is that the number of cases has declined greatly from last year to this year.

Anolis describes the virus well. Note that symptoms can last for weeks and can be so painful that you won't be able to go about your day normally.

We live in Bayamón (part of Metro San Juan) and a good percentage of people in our housing development has had Chikungunya.  Knock on wood, I have not had it, at least yet.  The kids seem to have bounced back pretty quickly, but some of my other friends are still dealing with residual symptoms from last summer.

I've read conflicting reports, but most sources indicate that once you contract Chikungunya, your system develops an immunity to it.

I teach classes outside mornings and evenings, the most active time for mosquitos, so I'll put on some insect repellent and hope for the best.

I had Chikungunya. So did my brother and many of my neighbors.  If you can relate to this, the symptoms were like Lyme disease and lasted a couple of weeks: weakness, aches and pains, tiredness. (I have had Lyme disease several times in New York). I would rather have chickungunya than the flu. Anyway, it should not be high on your list of concerns. And, I am of retirement age.  It was just another thing. If you get it, it will pass. Don Q and Diet Coke helped ease the aches.

frogrock wrote:

If you get it, it will pass. Don Q and Diet Coke helped ease the aches.

Don't think it's as big of an issue as we might think Mary.. I'm from New York and will be moving in June to Luquillo

My stepdaughter had it. It was pretty nasty. But not bad enough to make her want to leave the island.