Gandia chikungunya case was false positive

shutterstock.com

GANDIA’S chikungunya case was a false positive, the health authorities have confirmed, meaning there is no evidence that tiger mosquitoes are spreading the illness in the region.

On July 31 the health department had reported that a 60-year-old man who lived and worked in Gandia had suffered, and recovered from, chikungunya. Initial tests proved positive for the virus and the man had not travelled anywhere where the virus is known to appear before the incubation period. The assumption was that he had caught it at home, leading the departments to activate protocols and inform state and European authorities.

Yet a second sample was sent to the National Microbiology Centre at the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, where test results came back negative.

This means, the department has explained, the 21 known cases of the virus in the region this year were all caught abroad.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Euro Weekly News Media

Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

Comments