Death toll climbs, as mosquito-borne virus Chikungunya sweeps Americas

Three more victims of virus recorded in Puerto Rica, with thousands infected across region. Three more people have died after becoming infected with a mosquito-borne virus that is raging across Central America, South America and the Caribbean, killing hundreds. Puerto Rican chief epidemiologist Brenda Rivera Garcia said that the chikungunya virus had claimed two lives in greater San Juan, and a third in the north-eastern coastal town of Fajardo. Health authorities in the country are investigating two other deaths to establish if they died due to chikungunya. This virus has infected hundreds of thousands and killed an estimated 113 across the Americas, after emerging in the region less than a year ago. There is no vaccine for the virus, which is borne by the A. albopictus and aedes aegypti mosquito, and causes symptoms including fever, severe joint and muscle pains, and headaches. Amongst the countries affected, Venezuala has 1,700 cases, Colombia 4,800 and the Dominican...