Chikungunya facts for kids
Chikungunya is a sickness caused by a tiny germ called the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). It makes people have a fever and sore joints. These problems usually start 2 to 12 days after a mosquito bite. Other problems can be headaches, muscle aches, swollen joints, and a skin rash. Most people feel better in about a week. But sometimes, the joint pain can last for months or even years. It's rare, but about 1 out of 1,000 people who get it might die. Very young children, older people, and those with other health problems can get more serious sickness.
The virus spreads between people through two types of mosquitos: the Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti. These mosquitoes mostly bite during the day. The virus can also live in some animals like birds and rodents. Doctors find out if someone has chikungunya by testing their blood for the virus's RNA or special antibodies. The symptoms can look like dengue fever or Zika fever. Most people become immune (protected) after they have had chikungunya once. To feel better, doctors suggest rest, drinking lots of fluids, and taking medicine for fever and joint pain.
The best way to stop chikungunya is to control mosquitoes and avoid their bites. This means getting rid of places where mosquitoes lay eggs, using insect repellent, and sleeping under mosquito nets. In November 2023, a vaccine called Ixchiq was approved in the US for people 18 and older. This is the first vaccine for chikungunya.
Chikungunya is usually found in Africa and Asia. But since the 2000s, there have been outbreaks in Europe and the Americas. In 2014, over a million people were thought to have chikungunya. The sickness was first found in 1952 in Tanzania. The name "chikungunya" comes from the Kimakonde language. It means "to become contorted," which describes how people with bad joint pain might bend over.
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What are the Signs and Symptoms of Chikungunya?
It can take 1 to 12 days for a person to get sick after being bitten by an infected mosquito. This time is called the incubation period. Most people usually start to feel sick in 3 to 7 days. A lot of people who get the virus (72% to 97%) will show symptoms.
Chikungunya has two main parts: an acute phase (short-term) and a chronic phase (long-term).
What Happens in the Acute Phase?
The acute phase often starts with a sudden, high fever. This fever can last up to 10 days. It is usually above 39°C (102°F) and can sometimes reach 40°C (104°F). About half of the people with chikungunya get a rash. This rash usually appears 2 to 5 days after the fever starts.
Some people also have stomach problems. These can include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. In rare cases, people might get conjunctivitis (pink eye) or other eye problems.
After about a week, the body starts to fight the virus. It makes special antibodies called immunoglobulin M (IgM). These antibodies attack the virus. After this, most symptoms usually get better. However, people often still have some problems for another week. These can be headaches, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and feeling very tired (exhaustion). Once these symptoms end, the acute phase is usually over.
What Happens in the Chronic Phase?
In the chronic phase of chikungunya, almost everyone (87% to 98%) gets very bad joint pain or stiffness. This pain usually lasts for weeks or months. But it can sometimes last for years. The joint pain can be so severe that a person cannot move the hurting joints.
The pain almost always affects more than one joint. It usually happens in joints on both sides of the body, especially in the arms and legs. This can include the wrists, ankles, hands, feet, shoulders, elbows, and knees. The virus can also cause pain in the muscles or ligaments.
Sometimes, it is hard to tell the difference between chikungunya and dengue fever. Both infections cause similar symptoms like fever and severe pain. However, chikungunya usually does not cause bleeding. If someone diagnosed with chikungunya has bleeding problems, they might:
- Have dengue fever instead of chikungunya.
- Have both chikungunya and dengue fever (both are spread by mosquitoes and are common in the same areas).
- Have both chikungunya and liver problems.
How Can We Prevent Chikungunya?
The best way to protect yourself from chikungunya is to avoid mosquito bites. This is especially important in places where the disease is common. For example, people can use bug spray, sleep under mosquito nets, and wear long sleeves and long pants when outside. In areas where chikungunya is common, governments can also help control mosquitoes. They might do this by spraying pesticides.
There is a new vaccine for chikungunya approved for adults. Scientists are still working on other vaccines. Even with a vaccine, controlling mosquitoes is still very important to prevent the spread of chikungunya.
How is Chikungunya Treated?
There is no specific medicine that cures chikungunya. No known anti-viral medicines (medicines that kill viruses) can kill the chikungunya virus.
Doctors can only give "supportive care." This means they treat the symptoms of chikungunya. For example, they might treat fever and joint pain with medicines like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen. They might also use painkillers like paracetamol (acetaminophen) and tell the person to drink plenty of fluids. Aspirin is usually not given because it can make bleeding more likely.
Treating Chronic Joint Pain
Scientists have not found one medicine that helps everyone with long-lasting joint pain from chikungunya. However, there is some evidence that certain medicines might help people whose joint pain lasts for more than two weeks. These medicines include:
- Ribavirin, an anti-viral medicine.
- Chloroquine, a medicine usually used to prevent malaria.
- Methotrexate, a medicine used for rheumatoid arthritis, which also causes severe joint pain.
These medicines do not help the symptoms during the acute (short-term) phase of chikungunya.
What is the Outlook for Chikungunya?
About 1 out of 1,000 people who get chikungunya die from the disease. People older than 65, newborn babies, and people with other medical problems are most likely to have serious problems. Chikungunya is especially dangerous for newborns. They can get the virus from their mothers during childbirth. Also, newborns' immune systems are still developing, making it harder for them to fight the virus.
Older people and those who already have arthritis are more likely to have chronic (long-lasting) joint pain.
Where is Chikungunya Found?
In the past, chikungunya was mostly found in developing countries. But more recently, there have been epidemics (where many people get the virus) in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas.
When chikungunya was first found in 1952, it was rare and only in West Africa. People usually got sick during rainy seasons because mosquitoes are more common then. From the 1960s, there were sometimes outbreaks in Asia and Africa. But until 2005, chikungunya was uncommon worldwide.
Since 2005, chikungunya has become much more common. It has caused large outbreaks in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. For example, in India, chikungunya reappeared after 32 years of no cases. Outbreaks have also happened in Europe, the Caribbean, and South America, where chikungunya had never spread before. A few people have also gotten chikungunya in the United States and Australia, where the virus had never lived before.
In 2005, there was a very large outbreak on Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. About 266,000 out of 770,000 people (over 1 in every 3 people) got chikungunya. In 2006, about 1.25 million people in India got the virus.
Chikungunya recently spread to the Americas. From 2013-2014, over 1.1 million people were thought to have the virus there. Of these, over 24,000 cases were confirmed.
Some scientists think that chikungunya has become more common because of a change in the virus's genetic code. This change might have made it easier for the virus to grow inside mosquito cells. It might also have allowed the virus to be spread more easily by the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). This is important because the Asian tiger mosquito lives in many more places than Aedes aegypti. Aedes aegypti lives only in tropical places. But the Asian tiger mosquito spreads easily and lives in Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.
How Was Chikungunya Discovered?
Chikungunya was first described by Marion Robinson and W.H.R. Lumsden in 1955. This was after an outbreak in 1952 near the border between Mozambique and Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania). A group of people called the Makonde lived in this area. The word "chikungunya" likely comes from the Makonde language. It means "that which bends up" or "to walk bent over." This describes how people with severe joint pain from the virus would bend into unusual positions.
The first recorded outbreak of chikungunya might have been in 1779. Scientific evidence suggests that the virus evolved around the year 1700.
Images for kids
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Transmission electron micrograph of Chikungunya virus particles
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A. aegypti mosquito biting a person
See also
In Spanish: Chikunguña para niños
