A debilitating virus is reported to be spreading across the southern part of the U.S. Reports aid that the virus has already infected 4,600 people in the Carribean during this month alone.

The chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne illness that causes high fever and sometimes intense pain, has spread in both Cuba and the U.S.

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It is spread mainly by Aedesaegyptii and Aedesalbopictuss mosquitoes that bite victims during daytime.

The virus has no known cure, but so far it has not been proven to be fatal. The mosquitoes that transmit the virus are mostly found in urban areas and can thrive in big cities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a rising number of chikungunya cases that have appeared in the U.S. This number includes 25 in Florida that is said were travelers who contracted the disease while out of the country.

Experts say it is only a matter of time before chikungunya begins to spread among local mosquitoes within the U.S.

On June 11, a case was reported in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Six days later, Mississippi State Department of Health officials said they were investigating the first potential case in a Mississippi resident who recently travelled to Haiti.

By June 19, the virus had spread to Georgia.

"The mosquitoes that transmit this infection are pretty widespread around the world, and that's why the infection has been able to spread across the tropical Pacific and now into the Caribbean," said Dr. Jorge Parada, medical director of the infection prevention program at Loyola University, Chicago, and medical spokesperson for the National Pest Management Association. 

"And there's absolutely no reason why this infection can't spread to more of South America and the southern United States."

There is an incubation period of three to seven days before symptoms of the infection become visible.  The most common signs of infections are fever and joint pains, normally in different joints.  Chikungunya can also cause muscle aches, joint swelling, headaches and a rash.

There is no cure for chikungunya but its effects are quite debilitating, especially for the elderly.

"The key thing is it tends to give you a lot of joint pain," Parada said.  "There's a saying that, 'It won't kill you, but you may wish you're dead.'"

Tagschikungunya virus, mosquitos