Chikungunya is a virus that belongs to the genus Alphavirus in the Togaviridae family of viruses. Other Alphaviruses include the Sindbis, eastern and western encephalitis, Semliki Forest and Ross River viruses. The Togaviridae family also includes the genus Rubivirus, to which Rubella belongs.
Chikungunya is also referred to as an arbovirus, owing to the manner in which it is transmitted: arboviruses are arthropod-borne viruses.
The word chikungunya is derived from an African word from Makode language which means `to bend or twist’, in reference to the stooped posture developed as a result of the arthritis associated with the disease. The name, chickungunya, comes from the Swahili for stooped walk, reflecting the physique of a person suffering from the disease.
Chikungunya is also known as buggy creek fever named after the area in western Oklahoma where it was was first isolated in North America.
Chikungunya is a viral disease that is almost always self-limiting and only rarely fatal. The symptoms are similar to those of dengue: unlike dengue, there is no hemorrhagic or shock syndrome form.
Symptoms appear between 4 and 7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. A high fever and headache occur accompanied by joint pain (ankles, wrists). Symptoms can persist for several weeks.
Symptoms include:
- high fever
- joint pain with or without swelling (arthritis or arthralgia), typically in the knee, ankle and small joints of the extremities
- chills
- headache
- low back pain
- rash
- vomiting
- mild hemorrhaging may be present especially in children
Asymptomatic (“silent”) infections are common, and immunity is long lasting.
Chikungunya was first described in 1955, following an outbreak on the Makonde Plateau, along the border between Tanganyika and Mozambique in 1952.
Chikungunya is found in Africa, southern India, Pakistan, South-East Asia and the Philippines and occurs predominantly during the rainy season. The range of hosts includes humans, primates, other mammals, and birds. In October 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported chikungunya fever outbreaks in eight states in India.
Between March 2005 and February 2006, 1,722 cases of chikungunya were reported in La Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar (territory of France). Two-hundred deaths were attributed to chikungunya.
And during the first week of February (2006), Mauritius, Mayotte and the Seychelles islands (south west Indian Ocean) have reported cases.
The chikungunya fever outbreak is beginning to subside on the Islands; however, chikungunya has recently been reported in Sri Lanka and is ongoing in a number of states in India.
Precautions include avoiding mosquito bites when visiting areas where chikungunya is prevalent.
Preventive measures include the same as those for other mosquito-associated diseases (e.g. malaria, malaria, yellow fever, west nile virus).
- Read about other arboviral infections:
Yellow Fever: The Disease and Symptoms
Yellow Fever Infection: Historical Perspective
Yellow Fever Vaccine: Disease Prevention
Sources:
Chikungunya and Dengue in the south west Indian Ocean (WHO)
Chikungunya Fever in India (CDC)
The copyright of the article Chikungunya in Microbiology is owned by Judy Arbique. Permission to republish Chikungunya in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
