Chikungunya in the US?

We often think of tropical diseases as something we (in the US or Europe) don't have to worry about. We don't live in a tropical region, so we don't have those diseases, right? So why should we study malaria, dengue, yellow fever, or chikungunya? Well, predictions are gaining ground that we will soon have more experience with at least one tropical disease...chikungunya. If you know me and have talked with me in the last 3 years, you have probably heard that name and maybe even more than you would every want to know about symptoms, transmission, and prevention. But for those of you who don't...chikungunya is a mosquito borne virus that causes debilitating joint pain. For months. My doctoral thesis assessed knowledge and practices around chikungunya in a rural region of Tamil Nadu, India. When you study tropical diseases, you typically have to go to the disease. I have traveled to India three times in the last 2 years to collect data for this project. Well, if only I had waited a little longer, I might have been able to study this very tropical disease much closer to home. Is 2013 the year? Check out the article below. This is the second article predicting a coming outbreak of Chikungunya in the US. Let's wait and see!

Chances Rising for Chikungunya Outbreaks in NYC, Atlanta, Miami