CDC has issued a chikungunya virus outbreak alert for travelers to Bolivia

A South American vacation destination is on alert, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing an urgent warning of a virus outbreak.

Bolivia was hit with a Level 2 alert about the chikungunya virus on Feb. 10.

“There is an outbreak of chikungunya in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba Departments, Bolivia,” the alert read. 

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“You can protect yourself by preventing mosquito bites.”

Common symptoms include a fever and joint pain, which start three to seven days after a bite from an infected mosquito, according to the CDC.

Headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash are other symptoms — with most people recovering within a week.

“Some [people] can have severe joint pain for months to years following acute illness,” the CDC’s site says.

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“Death from chikungunya is rare.”

The CDC recommends that travelers get the chikungunya vaccine and take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.

Travelers should “use insect repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and stay in places with air conditioning or that have screens on the windows and doors.”

The CDC recently issued a Level 2 advisory for the virus in the Seychelles, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean.

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In December, the CDC issued Level 2 travel advisories for Cuba, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Guangdong Province in southern China — advising Americans to “practice enhanced precautions” when visiting these areas.

Bolivia also has a Level 1 alert for measles, posted in May of last year.

“Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world,” the alert noted.

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“All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel,” it added. 

There were 323,300 international tourist arrivals in 2020, according to the World Bank.