Chikungunya
Mosquito-borne viral infection causing fever and severe joint pain.
Last updated
The name derives from a Kimakonde word meaning "that which bends up," describing the contorted posture of people with severe joint pain.[1] The initial identification of CHIKV occurred in the United Republic of Tanzania during 1952.[1]
Key facts and history
The virus is spread between people by Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which mainly bite during the day.[2] The World Health Organization reports that two chikungunya vaccines have received regulatory approvals in several countries but are not yet widely available.[1] The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is classified as an RNA virus belonging to the alphavirus genus within the Togaviridae family.[1] Headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, and a rash are among the additional symptoms that may be present.[3]
Beginning with an outbreak on Kenya's coast in 2004, the disease quickly moved to Indian Ocean islands, then onward to India and Southeast Asia, resulting in millions of infections.[4] The year 2013 saw chikungunya's arrival in the Americas, with the first detection occurring on the French island of Saint Martin.[5]
What the research sources say
The World Health Organization states that chikungunya symptoms are similar to dengue and Zika, making it easy to misdiagnose.[1] The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reports that the chronic stage affects around 30–40% of those infected and can last from months to several years.[6] The ECDC notes that during the 2005-2006 Réunion outbreak, the case fatality rate potentially associated with chikungunya was 0.1% and increased markedly with age.[6] The ECDC fact sheet states that reported asymptomatic infection rates generally range from 17% to 39%.[6]
The UK Health Security Agency advises that mosquitoes spreading chikungunya mainly bite during the day and at dusk.[7] According to the factsheet from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Aedes aegypti is identified as the main vector for the chikungunya virus.[8]
References
- "Chikungunya Fact Sheet (2025)", World Health Organization (WHO), 14 April 2025. facts only, no text reused. who.int
- Wikipedia, "Chikungunya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chikungunya Fact Sheet (2025)", World Health Organization (WHO), 14 April 2025; Paixão, "Zika, chikungunya and dengue: the causes and threats of new and re-emerging arboviral diseases", BMJ Global Health, 2018; "Preventing Chikungunya", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 26 February 2016; AFP, "Outbreak of Chikungunya Virus Poses Global Risk, Warns WHO", ScienceAlert, 23 July 2025; "Chikungunya Fact Sheet (2025)", World Health Organization (WHO), 14 April 2025; "Chikungunya Fact Sheet (2025)", World Health Organization en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chikungunya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: CDC, "Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Treatment", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15 May 2024; CDC, "Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Treatment", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15 May 2024; van Aalst, "Long-term sequelae of chikungunya virus disease: A systematic review", Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 1 January 2017, p. 8–22; CDC, "Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Treatment", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15 May 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chikungunya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Soumahoro, "The Chikungunya Epidemic on La Réunion Island in 2005–2006: A Cost-of-Illness Study", PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14 June 2011; "Chikungunya virus and the global spread of a mosquito-borne disease", The New England Journal of Medicine, March 2015, p. 1231–39 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Chikungunya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Charles, "Mosquito-borne virus knocking on Fla.'s door", Newspapers.com, 1 June 2014, p. A17; Silva, "Chikungunya virus: epidemiology, replication, disease mechanisms, and prospective intervention strategies", The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 1 March 2017, p. 737–749; Staples, "CDC Yellow Book: Health Information for International Travel: Chikungunya", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 26 August 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Chikungunya – Fact sheet", European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 24 June 2024. facts only, no text reused. ecdc.europa.eu
- "Mosquito bite avoidance: advice for travellers", UK Health Security Agency, 24 January 2023. facts only, no text reused. gov.uk
- "Aedes aegypti - Factsheet for experts", European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 9 June 2017. facts only, no text reused. ecdc.europa.eu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Chikungunya (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Common Infections And Diseases
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Chikungunya (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced