The virus is widespread in the Mobay to Negril area. The symptoms are reported to be like a very severe flu that lasts, for most people, 5 days or so. My friends there say that they have never before been so sick. They could hardly stand straight. Thus the African dialect name chikungunya which means "bent up". For those 65 and older and those with weakened immune systems, some symptoms can last for months or years. One friend who has had it reported that everyone in his family contracted it. It is widespread. The Jamaican government and the tourist industry downplay the problem for economic reasons.