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Bogota, Jul 20 (Prensa Latina) Colombian authorities confirmed today a first case of Chikungunya virus in a 71-year old woman who arrived from the Dominican Republic, local media reported.
The retired woman from the Valle del Cauca University, was declared officially by health authorities as the first case carrying the virus in the country, and she is staying home, undergoing medical treatment.
According to Health Secretary of Valle del Cauca, in southern Colombia, Fernando Gutierrez, the patient is under close watch to prevent spread of the illness, as reported by Semana weekly.
The Dominican Republic and several countries in Central America and South America were declared on alert by the World Health Organization because of the outbreak of the Chikungunya virus, which has killed more than 20 people in the region.
The Colombian Health Ministry had warned recently of the Caribbean and Pacific coasts as the most vulnerable areas, besides border departments.
The Chikungunya fever is a relatively rare and benign form of the viral fever caused by an alpha virus spread by bites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
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