By Dedrick D. Henry, Sr.
A mosquito-borne virus detected in Haiti has spread quickly in the Caribbean. 1,529 cases of the chikungunya virus have been confirmed by Ronald Singer, a spokesman for Haiti’s health ministry. 900 of the cases were found in the west department near the capital, Port-au- Prince and 300 cases have been confirmed in north- western Haiti. These numbers have made quite a significant jump since just last week, when only 14 cases were confirmed. The symptoms of the virus may include a sharp fever, headache, body rash and joint pain. There is no cure for the chikungunya virus it is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito which also transmits dengue fever.