What are the common symptoms of Chikungunya?

Abrupt onset of high-grade fever associated with intense pain in hands, wrists, ankles, and feet may be the presenting symptoms. At times the pain may persist for weeks to months. The other symptoms are headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, rash, fatigue, and occasionally nausea and vomiting

How is the disease transmitted?

The virus spreads through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite a person already infected with the virus. Infected mosquitoes can transmit the virus to other humans through bites.

How is the diagnosis made?

Besides the classic symptoms and the history, it is important to ascertain if the patient has recently traveled to an area with known Chikungunya outbreaks. Blood tests can confirm the antibodies against Chikungunya. Chikungunya virus can be detected by a Polymerase chain reaction that is PCR.

What are the severe symptoms of Chikungunya?

Intense joint pains may persist for years and months in some cases. Inflammation of the brain causing headaches, vomiting, confusion, seizures coma, meningitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome can occur. Involvement of the retina and uveitis can occur. Inflammation of the heart muscle and its covering known as pericarditis can occur. Breathlessness, severe skin rashes and blisters, skin lesions and ulcerations, and low platelets and WBC counts can occur.

What can be the long-term effects?

Chronic arthritis that may resemble rheumatoid arthritis may persist for years. Quality of life can be affected by fatigue that may remain for years. This can cause depression and anxiety.

How do you manage severe symptoms?

Severe cases may require hospitalization for intravenous fluids, pain management, and to anticipate and treat complications. Different approaches would be required for Chikungunya cases having cardiac or neurological symptoms.

What are the diagnostic advances?

In resource-limited settings, certain tests that can give immediate results are on the anvil. Certain multiplex assays can simultaneously detect multiple Arbor viruses such as Chikungunya, Dengue, and Zika viruses.

What about therapeutic research & vaccine development?

Since the success of mRNA technology in COVID-19 vaccines, scientists are trying to explore mRNA-based vaccines against Chikungunya. Certain antiviral drugs like Favipiravir and Ribavirin are important drugs being researched for Chikungunya infection.