Lindsay Lohan recently brought attention to the chikungunya virus after contracting it while vacationing in French Polynesia, but in Puerto Rico, there were more than 4,000 cases of the virus in 2014.

EFE reports that from the beginning of the year to Dec. 9, there have been 4,185 confirmed cases, notes LaInformacion.com.

Chikungunya can bring fever, rash, months-long joint pain and fatigue, according to Time. It is passed through mosquito bites, and it has been confused for dengue fever. There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus.

"The majority of cases confirmed in this report are from the western area of the island," said chief epidemiologist Brenda Rivera Garcia to EFE. "It's important that the residents from the region's municipalities take measures to protect themselves from and eliminate the mosquito breeding sites around their homes and their work."

Rivera Garcia said insect repellents and clothing that limits the amount of exposed skin is essential.

The report adds that five people died of chikungunya in 2014.

Puerto Rico declared the virus an epidemic in July.

According to USA Today, the number of cases is much higher.

About a year ago, the virus came to the Caribbean. St. Martin was the first place it was diagnosed in the Western Hemisphere, and people afflicted with the virus were first reported in May in Puerto Rico.

The virus has affected more than 700,000 people in Latin America, the World Health Organization reports.

William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, said the disease would be more common in Latin America because of the mosquitos that exist in the regions. Also, fewer people have window screens or air conditioning.

Chikungunya has also made its way to the United States, but Schaffner doesn't believe it will become as prevalent in America.

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