OTTAWA, Canada (CMC) — Canada’s health agency says that 201 Canadians have been infected by the chikungunya virus that has affected thousands of people in the Caribbean .

Eric Morrissette, a spokesman for Health Canada, said the cases have been confirmed among travellers returning from endemic areas in 2014.

“A very significant rise in infections by this virus has occurred in 2014, which is consistent with the large outbreak in the Caribbean region and ongoing activity in the Asia-Pacific area,” Morrissette said.

He said the majority of the Canadian cases stem from travel to Caribbean,adding that there is no evidence of local transmission in Canada, since the species of mosquito that transmits the virus is not native to the country.

The Public Health Agency of Canada urged travellers to consult a health-care provider, or visit a travel-health clinic, at least six weeks before going to the Caribbean.

The first case of the disease in the Western Hemisphere was documented on St Martin last December. Since then, nearly 800,000 people have been infected in the Caribbean, the majority of them in the Dominican Republic.

Chikungunya has been present in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region for decades.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said while there is no vaccine or treatment to fight the virus, most infected patients recover fully.

“But in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years,” WHO said.

“Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well

as gastrointestinal complaints. Serious complications are not common; but, in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death,” it added.