Honduras has confirmed its first case of chikungunya in 2016, an imported case involving a 31-year-old patient who frequently traveled to Managua, Nicaragua. After presenting symptoms similar to dengue, laboratory tests confirmed the infection. Health authorities have activated rapid response teams, including fumigation and case finding for symptomatic individuals, to prevent local transmission.
This event occurs within a regional context of increasing chikungunya cases and the reappearance of local transmission, according to PAHO alerts, and at a time of favorable weather conditions for the proliferation of mosquito vectors in Honduras. The main objective is to contain the virus and prevent the establishment of a chain of transmission within the country.
