• Epidemiology
  • Found primarily in tropical and subtropical regions (e.g., Central and South America, Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, Southern and Western Asia, and Europe)
• Etiology
  • Pathogen: Chikungunya virus (belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae)
  • Vectors: mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus), possibly leading to coinfection with dengue
  • Route of transmission: Mosquito bite
• Clinical features
  • Symptoms are similar to those of dengue and Zika virus infection.
  • Incubation period: usually 3–7 days
  • Sudden onset fever (typically > 39°C)
  • Malaise
  • Severe bilateral polyarthralgia
  • Joint swelling (effusion, synovitis, periarticular edema)
  • Headache
  • Maculopapular rash
  • Other (less common): e.g., lymphadenopathy, bleeding (rare)

Tip

Chikungunya, dengue, and zika are all mosquito-borne diseases and similar in clinical features.