EU Health Agency issues new advice to European travellers following chikungunya infections in Spain

EU HEALTH authorities have issued advice to European holidaymakers after three Icelandic tourists contracted the chikungunya virus while staying on the Costa Blanca.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said investigations were ongoing to assess the risk of the virus spreading.

ECDC said the virus is usually non-fatal but it added it could leave patients with chronic conditions and complications including arthritis.

The advice comes after a 37-year-old Icelandic woman was diagnosed with the virus after returning from a holiday in Alicante Province.

Two other travellers, one aged five, were also diagnosed in what became the first recorded cases of the virus being contracted in Spain.

Chikungunya is a tropical disease which originated in Africa and is spread by mosquitoes. Its symptoms include joint pains, rashes, fevers and headaches.

The virus kills about one in every 1,000 people who become infected with it.