Chikungunya

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne infection. It’s an alphavirus from the Togaviridae family, and was first isolated from patients during an epidemic in Tanzania in 1952.

The name chikungunya comes from a word in the Makonde language (one of the native languages in Tanzania) that means ‘that which bends up’, owing to the crippling pain in the joints caused by the virus.

Chikungunya is characterised by a sudden onset of fever usually accompanied by joint pain (arthralgia). However, symptoms can range from mild or non-existent to severe. It can often be misdiagnosed as other viral illnesses such as dengue fever in areas where these infections also occur.

Other common symptoms of chikungunya include:

The joint pain may be very debilitating, but usually ends within a few days or weeks.

Most patients make a full recovery. In some cases, joint pain and arthritis may persist for several months or even years. 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.

The chikungunya virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. Aedes aegypti is most commonly associated with the transmission of chikungunya in tropical and sub-tropical regions, but Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) has been associated with chikungunya transmission in more temperate regions, such as Italy.

When the mosquito feeds on the blood of a person infected with chikungunya, the virus enters and multiplies within the mosquito. After about 8 to 10 days, the mosquito can transmit the virus to another human, and can do this for the rest of its life.