Mosquito-borne viruses are making surprise visits in affluent countries where they have been largely unknown, The New York Times reported on Monday.
Yoyogi Park, a popular oasis in downtown Tokyo, was closed last week after it was discovered to be the epicenter of Japan's first outbreak of dengue in 70 years.
Dengue is also known by the name breakbone fever for the severe joint pain that eventually ensues. Repeat infections can cause dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be lethal. Since Japanese authorities detected the first case Aug. 27, more than 65 have been found, most of them associated with Yoyogi Park. The victims included two models reporting the outbreak for a local television station.
Fear of the virus is spreading throughout the country. In Yokohama, officials closed a large beach park after one woman who caught the virus in Tokyo said she was later bitten by a mosquito there.
More than 750 cases of another painful disease, chikungunya, have been reported this year in the U.S. Almost all of those affected have been in tourists returning from the Caribbean, where the disease is running rampant, particularly in the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique and Puerto Rico. Nine million Americans visit the Caribbean each year.
But Florida residents, even if they hadn't traveled, were infected this summer. The virus was found in a Texas mosquito, meaning that it is becoming more established in the United States.
Chikungunya wasn't heard of in the Western Hemisphere until late last year.
Victims can often be spotted walking stooped over with pain; the name means "bent up" in Makonde, an East African language.
Most victims recover within a week, but in some cases, the pain persists for years.
