View source for Chikungunya overview

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{{Chikungunya}}
{{CMG}}; {{AE}} {{AL}}

==Overview==
Chikungunya [[virus]] (CHIKV) is an [[arbovirus|arthropod-borne virus]], of the genus ''[[Alphavirus]]'', that is transmitted to humans by virus-carrying ''[[Aedes]]'' [[mosquitoes]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Lahariya C, Pradhan SK |title=Emergence of chikungunya virus in Indian subcontinent after 32 years: A review |journal=J Vector Borne Dis |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=151–60 |date=December 2006 |pmid=17175699 |url=http://www.mrcindia.org/journal/issues/434151.pdf}}</ref>

CHIKV is transmitted similarly to [[dengue fever]] and causes an illness with an acute [[febrile]] phase lasting two to five days, followed by a longer period of [[arthralgia|joint pains]] in the extremities; this pain may persist for years in some cases.<ref name=Powers>{{cite journal |author=Powers AM, Logue CH |title=Changing patterns of chikungunya virus: re-emergence of a zoonotic arbovirus |journal=J. Gen. Virol. |volume=88 |issue=Pt 9 |pages=2363–77 |date=September 2007 |pmid=17698645 |doi=10.1099/vir.0.82858-0 |url=}}</ref><ref name=Reemerging>{{cite journal |author=Sourisseau M, Schilte C, Casartelli N, et al. |title=Characterization of reemerging chikungunya virus |journal=PLoS Pathog. |volume=3 |issue=6 |pages=e89 |date=June 2007 |pmid=17604450 |pmc=1904475 |doi=10.1371/journal.ppat.0030089}}</ref>
The best means of prevention is overall [[mosquito control]] and in addition, the avoidance of bites by any infected [[mosquitoes]]. There is no specific treatment currently available but medications can be used to reduce symptoms.

==Historical Perspective==
The name chikungunya is derived from the Makonde word meaning "that which bends up" in reference to the stooped [[posture]] developed as a result of the [[arthritis|arthritic]] symptoms of the disease. The disease was first described by Marion Robinson<ref name=Robinson_1955>{{cite journal | author=Robinson Marion | title=An Epidemic of Virus Disease in Southern Province, Tanganyika Territory, in [[1952]]-53; I. Clinical Features | journal=Trans Royal Society Trop Med Hyg | year=1955 | pages=28-32 | volume=49 | issue=1 }}</ref> and W.H.R. Lumsden<ref name=Lumsden_1955>{{cite journal | author=Lumsden WHR | title=An Epidemic of Virus Disease in Southern Province, Tanganyika Territory, in 1952-53; II. General Description and Epidemiology | journal=Trans Royal Society Trop Med Hyg |  year=[[1955]] | pages=33-57 | volume=49 | issue=1 }}</ref> in [[1955]], following an outbreak on the Makonde Plateau, along the border between Tanganyika and Mozambique, in 1952.  Chikungunya is closely related to [[O'nyong'nyong virus]]<ref name=Vanlandingham_2005>{{cite journal | author=Vanlandingham DL, Hong C, Klingler K, Tsetsarkin K, McElroy KL, Powers AM, Lehane MJ, Higgs S | title=Differential infectivities of o'nyong-nyong and chikungunya virus isolates in Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes | journal=Am J Trop Med Hyg | year=[[2005]] | pages=616-21 | volume=72 | issue=5 | id={{PMID|15891138}} }}</ref>.

==Epidemiology and Demographics==  
Chikungunya was first described in Tanzania, Africa in 1952. Chikungunya outbreaks have occurred in countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In late 2013, the first local transmission of chikungunya [[virus]] in the Americas was identified in Caribbean countries and territories. Local transmission means that [[mosquitoes]] in the area have been infected with the [[virus]] and are spreading it to people.

==Diagnosis==
===Symptoms===
The common symptoms of chikungunya include [[fever]], [[petechial]] or [[maculopapular rash|maculopapular]] [[rash]] and [[arthralgia]] or [[arthritis]] affecting multiple joints.

==Treatment==

===Medical Therapy===
There is no specific [[antiviral therapy]] and the treatment is symptomatic.  Assess hydration and [[hemodynamic]] status and provide supportive care as needed

===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.

==References== 
{{Reflist|2}}
[[Category:Disease]]
[[Category:Infectious disease]]
[[Category:Viral diseases]]
[[Category:Togaviruses]]
[[Category:Tropical disease]]
[[Category:Infectious disease]]

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