What is Chikungunya?

A mosquito-borne febrile disease, Chikungunya is characterized by mild to severe joint pain, muscle pain, headaches, nausea, and rashes.  While most patients fully recover, the effects of the joint pain are often debilitating and can last from days to months, or even years after initial infection. Clinical manifestations of Chikungunya maybe non-specific and is often mischaracterized as Dengue or other viral exanthema.

Although, in most cases, the disease is not fatal, it has been known to cause fatalities due to respiratory failure and brain infections among a population where other diseases are present.  The virus occurs in Africa, Asia and outbreaks have occurred on the islands of the Indian Ocean and localized outbreaks in Europe.