Has Lindsay Lohan Contracted The Excruciating Chikungunya Virus?

Lindsay Lohan always seem to have something afflicting her, but with that, there always seem to be hoards of people saying that she’s making it up. During her reality series on Oprah Winfrey’s channel, she blamed much of her erratic behavior on a miscarriage — an excuse that was only begrudgingly accepted by those involved and outright mocked by much of the public. Now Lindsay has just dropped another such bomb, saying that she has been infected with the painful chikungunya virus.

Chikungunya virus has hit the hardest in the Central American and Caribbean countries of El Salvador and the Dominican Republican. Although exact numbers are unavailable for the Dominican, El Salvadorian officials are reporting that there are currently 30,000 cases of the chikungunya in the country, said Fox News Latino. The high number of citizens infected with the chikungunya virus is especially troubling because of its quick rate of growth — only 2,300 citizens were infected at the beginning of August, marking a more than 10-fold increase in less than two months, previously reported the Inquisitr.

While the chikungunya virus is typically not fatal, it is an extremely painful affliction. Those who catch the chikungunya virus report joint pain so grave that it becomes difficult to walk. Catalino Castillo, a 39-year-old El Salvadorian infected with the chikungunya virus described the symptoms as unbearable — the same that Lohan herself would be experiencing.

“The pain is unbelievable. It’s been 10 days and it won’t let up.”

Experts say the chikungunya virus does indeed have the potential to spread much further in the U.S., particularly in states like Florida that have a similar climate to the Caribbean and share a close proximity to the region. Places that Lindsay often finds herself. Scott C. Weaver, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch, cautioned that chikungunya virus can terrorize any areas where the aedes aegypti mosquito is found and the local population does not have a natural immunity built up over time.

“There are going to be some very large populations at risk down there, much larger than the Caribbean.”

Lindsay Lohan has been vacationing in the South Pacific, according to The Daily Mail, which is one of the regions that have been affected by the chikungunya virus. It’s also notable Lindsay spelled the name of virus correctly in her Instagram post, suggesting she has some familiarity with the virus. Maybe Lohan really is sick this time around.

[Image via Thought You May Ask]