Chikungunya
Chikungunya (CHIKV) is a virus that spreads to people through mosquito bites — specifically, through the Aedes aegypti mosquito and Aedes albopictus mosquito. Chikungunya infection happens when a mosquito with the virus bites a person. The virus doesn’t spread from person to person through bodily contact or saliva, although blood transmission may be possible.
The virus causes symptoms like fever and joint pain, which can become severe. The name chikungunya means “bent over” due to the joint pain the illness is known to cause. There’s no medication to treat chikungunya. Treatment focuses on managing your symptoms. Most people recover from the illness in about one week, but some have lasting joint pain.
How common is chikungunya?
Experts believe the number of cases is underreported because its symptoms are similar to other diseases. Once only in Africa and Asia, the virus is now global, affecting more than 110 countries worldwide.
Are chikungunya and dengue the same thing?
No, they aren’t the same virus. But the same species of mosquitos spread both diseases. Dengue also has similar symptoms to chikungunya. Zika is another virus that has similar symptoms and transmission. For this reason, healthcare providers may suspect all three viruses if a person has certain symptoms and has recently traveled outside their home country.
What causes chikungunya?
Getting bitten by a mosquito that’s infected with the virus causes a person to get the virus. The virus spreads through mosquito bites, not from person to person through bodily fluids or contact. This means if you’re sick with chikungunya, you won’t pass it on to a caregiver or family member.
There have been reports of healthcare providers getting the virus after handling the blood of an infected person. This means transmission through blood is possible, but rare.
What are the symptoms of chikungunya?
Symptoms of chikungunya usually develop between three and seven days after an infected mosquito bites you, although some people have symptoms as early as two days or as long as 12 days after a mosquito bite.
Fever and joint pain are the most common symptoms of chikungunya virus. The intensity of symptoms can vary depending on the person. Many people feeling crippling joint pain. The fever usually begins suddenly. Some people can have such mild symptoms that they mistake the virus for another illness or don’t visit a healthcare provider.
Other symptoms could include:
Most people experience symptoms for about one week and go on to make a full recovery. Although some people have chronic joint pain after recovery.