Abstract
An outbreak of chikungunya virus infection is currently underway in the Caribbean, Central America and South America, and autochthonous (local or indigenous) transmission has occurred in the southeastern United States. The mosquito species known to transmit chikungunya-Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus-are not known to reside in Canada at this time. But how comfortable can we be that this situation will continue? Here we explore four key conditions that must be met for transmission of chikungunya within Canada. We conclude that not all of these conditions have been met and the risk of chikungunya transmission in most of Canada appears to be very low at present. The risk is slightly higher in warmer areas, such as southern British Columbia and isolated locations in south central and southeastern Canada. However, there are significant gaps in our knowledge and ongoing risk assessment, research and surveillance for vectors of chikungunya are indicated.
Highlights
The mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya is endemic to parts of Africa, Asia, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans
An outbreak of chikungunya virus infection is currently underway in the Caribbean, Central America and South America, and autochthonous transmission has occurred in the southeastern United States
In addition to the direct risk of infections being acquired during travel, what is the risk that travellers who have acquired infection abroad return and act as a source of local autochthonous chikungunya transmission in Canada? In this article, we evaluate the possibility of local transmission of chikungunya virus in Canada that could lead to isolated autochthonous cases or outbreaks
Summary
The mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya is endemic to parts of Africa, Asia, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Over the course of 2014, chikungunya spread through much of the Caribbean, as well as parts of Central America, South America and Mexico, with autochthonous transmission being seen in the southeastern United States (1, 2). A rapid increase in laboratory diagnoses of travel-acquired chikungunya infections in Canadians has been seen recently (3). This would be expected, given the high numbers of Canadians who travel to affected regions for business and pleasure (3). In addition to the direct risk of infections being acquired during travel, what is the risk that travellers who have acquired infection abroad return and act as a source of local autochthonous chikungunya transmission in Canada? We evaluate the possibility of local transmission of chikungunya virus in Canada that could lead to isolated autochthonous cases or outbreaks.
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