Nicole Solano, a student at Agnes Scott College, worked with Dr. John Drake to model factors that could influence the risk of Chikungunya virus in the United States.
Abstract: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arbovirus endemic to Africa and South and East Asia, that is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito, primarily Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. Since its identification in Tanzania in 1952, CHIKV has spread around the globe, making itself a very prevalent infectious disease. To date (20 June 2015) there have been eleven reported cases of autochthonous transmission in the U.S. (in Florida). Since its introduction into the Americas, concerns have been raised about which areas in the United States are most vulnerable to importation of CHIKV. We examined the correlation between human West Nile Virus (WNV) cases and human Meningitis and Encephalitis cases. A strong correlation was observed (p-value < 2.2-16) informing us that Meningitis and Encephalitis is a good predictor of WNV infection. Given this, we wanted to know which socio-economic covariates were important to consider when thinking about exposure to a disease. A regression analysis helped us identify age and poverty level as the most important covariates. Presence of Aedes albopictus and relative exposure per county was mapped to depict which counties are most vulnerable for onward Chikungunya virus transmission.