Unwanted World Cup Souvenir

FAIRFAX, Va. (June 25, 2014) – The CDC has been closely monitoring the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus since it's appearance in the Western Hemisphere. The only known cases in the U.S. were contracted while people were vacationing abroad.

With the number of Americans attending the World Cup in Brazil, officials are worried chikungunya could be on American soil sooner rather than later because it isn't just infected mosquitoes that could bring the virus stateside.

Although chikungunya cannot be spread from person-to-person, should an infected person get another mosquito bite back at home, that mosquito could infect another person who didn't travel outside the country.