The Authorities In US Virgin Islands on Wednesday confirmed the first case of chikunguniya.

The health officials, however, refused to divulge the identity of the patient. It is learned that a second patient in the three-island territory got infected from this disease in some other part of the world.

From the island of St. Croix, Health Commissioner Darice Plaskett said local authorities have got in touch with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies and have requested their help to “raise awareness and prevent the spread of the virus.”

The Pan American Health Organization had recorded about 135,000 suspected and confirmed cases of this disease till June 6. The first locally transmitted case of this disease in the Caribbean was confirmed in December. The first case was confirmed in St. Martin, a French territory 230 miles east of Puerto Rico.

This viral disease was first identified in Africa and it has rapidly spread to other parts of the world, including dozens of confirmed cases in French Guiana and Guyana on the northern shoulder of South America.

Some cases have been recorded in Venezuela and other South American countries. The people who were found infected from this disease picked up the virus elsewhere. In the US, the authorities are concerned about the spread of this disease in the country.

The symptoms of Chikungunya include a burning fever, headaches and a debilitating pain in joints. No vaccine has been developed so far to treat this disease.