Jalisco, Mexico - Jalisco health authorities have confirmed the first case of the Chikungunya virus in the state. The patient is a 39-year-old woman, who was probably infected during a trip made to the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda last month.

First detected on the island of St. Martin in December 2013 and declared an epidemic on May 1 this year by the Caribbean Public Health Authority, Chikungunya (pronounced chik-en-gun-ye) is an illness caused by a virus that spreads through mosquito bites.

The most common symptoms of Chikungunya are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. Chikungunya disease rarely results in death, but the symptoms can be severe and disabling. Most people who get sick feel better within a week. In some people, the joint pain may last for months or years.

Jalisco Health Secretary Agustín González Álvarez said Thursday that the patient was diagnosed at the end of May and is still feeling symptoms a month later.

Even though Chikungunya symptoms can be severe, the disease is rarely fatal, unlike Dengue. Also unlike Dengue, chikungunya can be contracted by an individual only once, since it gives lifelong immunity.

There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Chikungunya virus infection. The only way to prevent Chikungunya is to prevent mosquito bites. Preventing bites can be difficult, but it is important as you can get sick after just one bite. When traveling to countries with chikungunya virus, use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, and stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens.

The Pan American Health Organization reported that as of June 20 there were 183,761 suspected cases of Chikungunya in the Caribbean.