Chikungunya (patient information)
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Chikungunya |
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Alejandro Lemor, M.D. [2], Alonso Alvarado, M.D. [3]
Overview
What are the symptoms of Chikungunya?
- Most people infected with Chikungunya virus will develop some symptoms.
- Symptoms usually begin 3–7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
- The most common symptoms are fever and joint pain.
- Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.
- Chikungunya disease does not often result in death, but the symptoms can be severe and disabling.
- Most patients feel better within a week. In some people, the joint pain may persist for months.
What causes Chikungunya?
- Chikungunya virus is transmitted to people through mosquito bites.
- Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already infected with the virus.
- Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other people through bites.
- Chikungunya virus is most often spread to people by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
- These are the same mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus.
- They bite mostly during the daytime.
Who is at highest risk?
- People at risk for more severe disease include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults (≥65 years), and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.
- Travelers who visit the following Caribbean countries are at risk of getting Chikungunya.
- Anguilla
- Antigua
- British Virgin Islands
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- French Guiana
- Guadeloupe
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Martinique
- Puerto Rico
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Kitts
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin (French)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sint Maarten (Dutch)
- In addition, travelers to Africa, Asia, and islands in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific are also at risk, as the virus is present in many of these areas.
- The mosquito that carries Chikungunya virus can bite during the day and night, both indoors and outdoors, and often lives around buildings in urban areas.
Diagnosis
- The symptoms of Chikungunya are similar to those of dengue, another disease spread by mosquitoes.
- If you have recently traveled, tell your doctor.
- Your doctor may order blood tests to look for Chikungunya or other similar diseases.
When to seek urgent medical care?
See your doctor if you develop any of the following symptoms:
- Fever persisting for more than five days
- Intractable pain
- Postural dizziness, cold extremities
- Decreased urine output
- Any bleeding under the skin or through any orifice
- Incessant vomiting
Treatment options
- There is no medicine to treat Chikungunya virus infection or disease.
- Decrease the symptoms:
- Get plenty of rest.
- Drink fluids to prevent dehydration.
- Take medicines, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, or paracetamol, to relieve fever and pain.
Where to find medical care for Chikungunya?
- For more information about medical care, see Getting Health Care Abroad and a list of International Joint Commission-accredited facilities.
Prevention
- No vaccine exists to prevent Chikungunya virus infection or disease.
- Avoiding mosquito bites is the best way to prevent Chikungunya virus infection.
- The mosquitoes that spread the Chikungunya virus bite mostly during the daytime.
- The most effective means of prevention are those that protect against any contact with the disease-carrying mosquitoes. These include using insect repellent containing DEET or permethrin, wearing long sleeves and trousers (pants), and securing screens on windows and doors. It's also important to empty stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
Ways to Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites
- Use air conditioning or window/door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
- If you are not able to protect yourself from mosquitoes inside your home, sleep under a mosquito bed net.
- Help reduce the number of mosquitoes outside your home by emptying standing water from containers such as flowerpots or buckets.
- When weather permits, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Use insect repellents.
- Repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide long lasting protection.
- If you use both sunscreen and insect repellent, apply the sunscreen first and then the repellent.
- Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.
- Treat clothing with permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated clothing.
- Always follow the label instructions when using insect repellent or sunscreen.
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
- Often symptoms in infected individuals are mild and the infection may go unrecognized, or be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue occurs.
- Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years.
- Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections.
Possible complications
- 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.