Chikungunya kills 25 in Colombia

The virus chikungunya has killed 25 people in Colombia in less than a year, the National Health Institute said Monday.

Since the illness was identified in Colombia in July 2014, more than 180,000 cases have been confirmed, 25 people have died, and another 17 deaths are still being investigated as possibly caused by the virus, data from the institute shows.

The rarely fatal but nevertheless serious virus sparks high fevers and severe joint aches, as well as headaches, nausea and extreme fatigue.

It has spread across the Caribbean, to Central America, Mexico and South America. There is no vaccine or treatment.

In July 2014, a Florida man who had not recently traveled outside the country became the first person in the United States to contract the mosquito-borne virus locally.

© 2015 AFP