Chikungunya

Fact sheet N327

Updated March 2014

Key facts
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes
fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea,
fatigue and rash.
The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas
where dengue is common.
There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms.
The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor
for chikungunya.
Since 2004, chikungunya fever has reached epidemic proportions, with considerable
morbidity and suffering.
The disease occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In recent decades
mosquito vectors of chikungunya have spread to Europe and the Americas. In 2007,
disease transmission was reported for the first time in a localized outbreak in north-
eastern Italy.

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern
Tanzania in 1952. It is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family
Togaviridae. The name chikungunya derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, meaning
"to become contorted" and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain
(arthralgia).
Signs and symptoms
Chikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain.
Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.
The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually lasts for a few days or may be prolonged to
weeks.
Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain 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. Often symptoms in infected individuals are mild and
the infection may go unrecognized, or be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue occurs.
Transmission
Chikungunya has been identified in nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and also in the
Americas.

WHO
The virus is transmitted from human to human by the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Most
commonly, the mosquitoes involved are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, two species which
can also transmit other mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue. These mosquitoes can be
found biting throughout daylight hours, though there may be peaks of activity in the early
morning and late afternoon. Both species are found biting outdoors, but Ae. aegypti will also
readily feed indoors.
After the bite of an infected mosquito, onset of illness occurs usually between four and eight
days but can range from two to 12 days.
Diagnosis
Several methods can be used for diagnosis. Serological tests, such as enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assays (ELISA), may confirm the presence of IgM and IgG anti-chikungunya
antibodies. IgM antibody levels are highest three to five weeks after the onset of illness and
persist for about two months. Samples collected during the first week after the onset of
symptoms should be tested by both serological and virological methods (RT-PCR).
The virus may be isolated from the blood during the first few days of infection. Various reverse
transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) methods are available but are of variable
sensitivity. Some are suited to clinical diagnosis. RTPCR products from clinical samples may
also be used for genotyping of the virus, allowing comparisons with virus samples from various
geographical sources.
Treatment
There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for Chikungunya. Treatment is directed primarily at
relieving the symptoms, including the joint pain using anti-pyretics, optimal analgesics and
fluids. There is no commercial chikungunya vaccine.
Prevention and control
The proximity of mosquito vector breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor
for chikungunya as well as for other diseases that these species transmit. Prevention and control
relies heavily on reducing the number of natural and artificial water-filled container habitats that
support breeding of the mosquitoes. This requires mobilization of affected communities. During
outbreaks, insecticides may be sprayed to kill flying mosquitoes, applied to surfaces in and
around containers where the mosquitoes land, and used to treat water in containers to kill the
immature larvae.
For protection during outbreaks of chikungunya, clothing which minimizes skin exposure to the
day-biting vectors is advised. Repellents can be applied to exposed skin or to clothing in strict
accordance with product label instructions. Repellents should contain DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-
methylbenzamide), IR3535 (3-[N-acetyl-N-butyl]-aminopropionic acid ethyl ester) or icaridin
(1-piperidinecarboxylic acid, 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-methylpropylester). For those who sleep
during the daytime, particularly young children, or sick or older people, insecticide treated
mosquito nets afford good protection. Mosquito coils or other insecticide vaporizers may also
reduce indoor biting.
Basic precautions should be taken by people traveling to risk areas and these include use of
repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants and ensuring rooms are fitted with screens to prevent
mosquitoes from entering.
Disease outbreaks
Chikungunya occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Human infections in Africa
have been at relatively low levels for a number of years, but in 1999-2000 there was a large
outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in 2007 there was an outbreak in Gabon.
Starting in February 2005, a major outbreak of chikungunya occurred in islands of the Indian
Ocean. A large number of imported cases in Europe were associated with this outbreak, mostly
in 2006 when the Indian Ocean epidemic was at its peak. A large outbreak of chikungunya in
India occurred in 2006 and 2007. Several other countries in South-East Asia were also affected.
Since 2005, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Maldives and Myanmar have reported over 1.9 million
cases. In 2007 transmission was reported for the first time in Europe, in a localized outbreak in
north-eastern Italy. There were 197 cases recorded during this outbreak and it confirmed that
mosquito-borne outbreaks by Ae. Albopictus are plausible in Europe.
In December 2013, France reported 2 laboratory-confirmed autochthonous (native) cases of
chikungunya in the French part of the Caribbean island of St Martin. Since then, local
transmission has been confirmed in the Dutch part of Saint Martin [St Maarten], Anguilla,
British Virgin Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Barthelemy.
Aruba only reported imported cases.
This is the first documented outbreak of chikungunya with autochthonous transmission in the
Americas.
As of 6 March 2014, there have been over 8000 suspected cases in the region.
More about disease vectors
Both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus have been implicated in large outbreaks of chikungunya.
Whereas Ae. aegypti is confined within the tropics and sub-tropics, Ae. albopictus also occurs in
temperate and even cold temperate regions. In recent decades Ae. albopictus has spread from
Asia to become established in areas of Africa, Europe and the Americas.
The species Ae. albopictus thrives in a wider range of water-filled breeding sites than Ae.
aegypti, including coconut husks, cocoa pods, bamboo stumps, tree holes and rock pools, in
addition to artificial containers such as vehicle tyres and saucers beneath plant pots. This
diversity of habitats explains the abundance of Ae. albopictus in rural as well as peri-urban areas
and shady city parks.
Ae. aegypti is more closely associated with human habitation and uses indoor breeding sites,
including flower vases, water storage vessels and concrete water tanks in bathrooms, as well as
the same artificial outdoor habitats as Ae. albopictus.
In Africa several other mosquito vectors have been implicated in disease transmission, including
species of the A. furcifer-taylori group and A. luteocephalus. There is evidence that some
animals, including non-primates, rodents, birds and small mammals may act as reservoirs.