Burden of chikungunya in Latin American countries: estimates of disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) lost in the 2014 epidemic

The burden of chikungunya virus disease (CHIK) in Latin America is an emerging concern, as virus spread is out of control and recent studies have reported that the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost in some parts of the region could be higher than those during the 2006 epidemics in India.1,2 Recent estimates indicate that between 385 835 and 429 058 patients in Latin America will develop post-CHIK chronic inflammatory rheumatism (pCHIK-CIR).3 However, the real disease burden and economic impact remain unknown and there are no current estimates of the expected disease burden in the region.