Health
ChikV is back! The Americas see sharp increase and nearly 100 deaths
By Rashaed Esson with Deandrea Hamilton
Editorial Staff
March 23, 2023 – The region is once again facing off with a public health risk and while not new, the return, prevalence and lethal impact of the virus is wreaking new and heartbreaking havoc; it has also caused the Pan American Health Organization to issue warnings to Member countries urging them to prepare and reinforce their responses to Chikunguna; transmitted by mosquito and responsible for nearly 100 deaths last year.
According to PAHO, the Americas saw an increase in deaths and cases from ChikV in 2022. In fact, PAHO charted 273,685 cases and 87 deaths in 2022; 14 countries and territories in the Americans were reporting.
“This figure is higher than that observed in the same period of 2021 (137,025 cases, including 12 deaths),” according to PAHO/WHO.
In addition, the occurrence of the diseases has gone beyond the historical areas of transmission reported since 2014, which leaked into the first few weeks of 2023.
Paraguay and Brazil were identified in the March 8 report. The pair of South/Central American countries carry the highest incidence rates of 1,128 cases per 100,000 population. For Paraguay and 14.2 cases per 100,000 population and for Brazil or 115,539 cases and 33 deaths were reported in the first epidemiological week (EW) of 2023.
For Paraguay, between December and February, a total of 34,659 cases were categorised as probable and confirmed, including 2,910 hospitalizations and 34 deaths.
It is unimaginable that after pushing down the instance and detrimental impacts of ChikV that any nation would count 34 people dead as a result of the mosquito borne virus. While control of the virus is relatively good, progress on life-saving, preventative medical intervention is stagnant.
“While there are several vaccines currently in different stages of development (as of Dec 2022) they are yet to be licensed. There is no commercial vaccine available to protect against chikungunya virus infection,” informs the World Health Organization.
Meanwhile, the virus spread chiefly by the Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes is giving no indication of slowing down in the two nations cited as concerning by PAHO.
“Of total of cases reported (in Paraguay) during this period, 93% of cases (32,258/34,659) and 97% (33/34) of deaths were reported between EW 1 and 8 in 2023,” according to PAHO/WHO.
For Brazil, in 2023, between January and February, there were 35,566 probable and confirmed cases; a 109.6 percent relative increase compared to the same period in 2022. One death is confirmed as due to ChikV; 13 others are still under investigation.
(Providenciales – Monday, March 2, 2026) TCI Hospital proudly announces the successful achievement of its Heart Strong TCI initiative, a comprehensive Heart Month campaign focused on raising awareness and strengthening cardiovascular disease prevention efforts across the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the Turks and Caicos Islands, highlighting the critical need for sustained public education, risk-factor reduction, and early intervention. The Heart Strong TCI initiative was designed to actively engage the community through education, outreach, and physical activity.
Key Activities Included:
Educational Training Sessions
Healthcare professionals conducted structured sessions addressing hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol management, nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, and the early warning signs of heart disease.
House Call Talk Show Feature
A dedicated Heart Month episode of the hospital’s House Call program provided expert discussion on cardiovascular risk factors and prevention strategies, empowering viewers with practical, evidence-based guidance.
Red Fridays Awareness Campaign
Throughout the month, staff wore red every Friday to increase visibility around heart disease awareness and reinforce the campaign’s message within the community.
Heart Strong 5K Walk/Run
In collaboration with the Rotary Club, TCI Hospital hosted a community-wide 5K walk/run to promote physical activity as a cornerstone of
heart health. The walk/run also provided an opportunity for community screening.
Digital Health Education Campaign
To expand its reach, TCI Hospital also shared ongoing heart health education tips and prevention messages across its social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. These posts provided actionable guidance on diet, exercise, blood pressure control, and lifestyle modification, and encouraging community members to learn CPR.
Heart Strong TCI: A Continuous Commitment
While Heart Month has officially ended, Heart Strong TCI represents an ongoing institutional commitment to cardiovascular disease prevention and awareness. TCI Hospital will continue to prioritize:
- Community-based education initiatives
- Preventative screening and early detection programs
- Lifestyle and wellness promotion
- Strategic partnerships that advance public health outcomes
“Heart Strong TCI is not limited to a single month,” CEO, Dr. Denise Braithwaite-Tennant. “Cardiovascular disease prevention requires sustained effort. We remain committed to promoting healthy hearts across the Turks and Caicos Islands year-round.”
For more information about cardiovascular health services or upcoming screening initiatives, please contact TCI Hospital at 649-941-2800 in Providenciales, 649-941-2900 in Grand Turk or email us at info@interhealthcanada.tc
About TCI Hospital
TCI Hospital is dedicated to delivering high-quality healthcare services to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, with a strong emphasis on prevention, education, and community wellness.
February is National Self- Check Month and family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic, OH, John Hanicak, MD, highlights why at home self-checks are extremely important when it comes to not just early cancer detection but identifying other illnesses too and offers tips on what to look out for.
“Sometimes I look at them as sort of like your check engine light on the car, just like there would be a red flashing light that tells you that
there’s something wrong with a car and prompts you to bring that in and get serviced. Your body does the same thing. It gives you warning signs to look into that symptom a little bit further,” said Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak said self-checks are going to be a little different for everyone.
However, in general, he recommends looking for anything that may seem abnormal, such as unexplained weight loss, blood in your urine, bumps and bruises that won’t heal, and changes in bowel habits.
For example, if you suddenly start going to the bathroom a lot more than you used to, that could be a sign of something more serious.
He also suggests doing regular skin checks and documenting any moles or spots that start to look different.
“Realize that you are your own person. There’s nobody else in the world exactly like you. You’ve got your own set of ideas, your own family history and your own genetics. Know what is normal for you, and when that changes, that’s the kind of thing that we would be interested in talking about,” said Dr. Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak notes that self-checks are not meant to replace cancer screenings, as those are just as important to keep up with.
Press Release: Cleveland Clinic
December 4, 2025 – Hollywood legend Bruce Willis – arguably the most famous former home owner in Turks and Caicos Islands – is facing the most difficult role of his life and turning it into one last act of service.
Willis, 70, retired from acting in 2022 after his family revealed he had been diagnosed with aphasia. The following year, specialists
confirmed he is living with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a degenerative brain disease that attacks language, behaviour and personality.
In recent interviews and appearances, his wife Emma Heming Willis has said Bruce is “surrounded by love and care” and that the family is learning to find joy in new ways, even as the disease progresses.
Now, Heming Willis has gone further. In her 2025 memoir The Unexpected Journey, she writes that the family has decided Bruce’s brain will be donated to science after his death to advance research into FTD. That decision has been highlighted in recent coverage by futurist and science outlets, which describe it as a carefully considered step after months of watching a still-physically-strong man steadily lose speech, reading and independence.
Neurologists have long stressed how rare donated brain tissue is for FTD, and how essential it is to understanding which proteins, mutations and mechanisms are actually driving the disease. The Willis family’s choice means the brain that powered some of cinema’s most iconic characters could one day help researchers diagnose the condition earlier and design better treatments – even if it cannot help Bruce himself.
For Turks and Caicos, the story lands close to home. For nearly two decades Willis owned “The Residence” on exclusive Parrot Cay – a 7.3-acre, Asian-inspired beachfront compound with a five-bedroom main house, two guest villas and a yoga pavilion. He and Emma listed the estate in March 2019 for US$33 million; it sold a few months later for about US$27 million, one of the biggest residential deals in TCI history.
So, while Bruce Willis no longer has a physical address in Turks and Caicos, his connection to these islands remains part of his global story – a story now shifting from blockbuster fame to medical legacy, as his family turns private heartbreak into a public contribution that could change what we know about dementia.
Developed by Deandrea Hamilton • with ChatGPT (AI) • edited by Magnetic Media.
