Passport Health logo
VACCINATIONS|FIND A TRAVEL CLINIC|ADVICE
  • Home
    • About
        • Company History
        • Careers
        • Executive Team
        • Contact Us
        • Customer Feedback
        • FAQ
        • Mission Statement
        • Privacy Policy
        • Blog
    • Close
  • Destination Advice
    • Top Destinations
        • Brazil
        • China
        • Costa Rica
        • India
        • Kenya
        • Peru
        • Philippines
        • South Africa
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
    • Destination Advice
          • Afghanistan
          • Albania
          • Algeria
          • American Samoa
          • Andorra
          • Angola
          • Anguilla
          • Antarctica
          • Antigua and Barbuda
          • Argentina
          • Armenia
          • Aruba
          • Australia
          • Austria
          • Azerbaijan
          • Azores
          • Bahamas
          • Bahrain
          • Balearics
          • Bangladesh
          • Barbados
          • Belarus
          • Belgium
          • Belize
          • Benin
          • Bermuda
          • Bhutan
          • Bolivia
          • Bonaire
          • Bora Bora
          • Bosnia
          • Botswana
          • Brazil
          • British Virgin Islands
          • Brunei
          • Bulgaria
          • Burkina Faso
          • Burma
          • Burundi
          • Cambodia
          • Cameroon
          • Canada
          • Canary Islands
          • Cape Verde
          • Cayman Islands
          • Central African Republic
          • Chad
          • Chile
          • China
          • Christmas Island
          • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
          • Colombia
          • Comoros
          • Cook Islands
          • Costa Rica
          • Cote d'Ivoire
          • Croatia
          • Cuba
          • Curacao
          • Cyprus
          • Czechia
          • Democratic Republic of the Congo
          • Denmark
          • Djibouti
          • Dominica
          • Dominican Republic
          • East Timor
          • Easter Island
          • Ecuador
          • Egypt
          • El Salvador
          • Equatorial Guinea
          • Eritrea
          • Estonia
          • Ethiopia
          • Falkland Islands
          • Faroe Islands
          • Fiji
          • Finland
          • France
          • French Guiana
          • French Polynesia
          • Gabon
          • Gambia
          • Georgia
          • Germany
          • Ghana
          • Gibraltar
          • Greece
          • Greenland
          • Grenada
          • Guadeloupe
          • Guam
          • Guatemala
          • Guinea-Bissau
          • Guinea
          • Guyana
          • Haiti
          • Hawaii
          • Honduras
          • Hong Kong
          • Hungary
          • Ibiza
          • Iceland
          • India
          • Indonesia
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Ireland
          • Israel
          • Italy
          • Jamaica
          • Japan
          • Jordan
          • Kazakhstan
          • Kenya
          • Kiribati
          • Kosovo
          • Kuwait
          • Kyrgyzstan
          • Laos
          • Latvia
          • Lebanon
          • Lesotho
          • Liberia
          • Libya
          • Liechtenstein
          • Lithuania
          • Luxembourg
          • Macau
          • Macedonia
          • Madagascar
          • Madeira Islands
          • Malawi
          • Malaysia
          • Maldives
          • Mali
          • Malta
          • Marshall Islands
          • Martinique
          • Mauritania
          • Mauritius
          • Mayotte
          • Mexico
          • Micronesia
          • Moldova
          • Monaco
          • Mongolia
          • Montenegro
          • Montserrat
          • Morocco
          • Mozambique
          • Namibia
          • Nauru
          • Nepal
          • Netherlands
          • New Caledonia
          • New Zealand
          • Nicaragua
          • Niger
          • Nigeria
          • Niue
          • Norfolk Island
          • North Korea
          • Northern Mariana Islands
          • Norway
          • Oman
          • Pakistan
          • Palau
          • Palestinian Territories
          • Panama
          • Papua New Guinea
          • Paraguay
          • Peru
          • Philippines
          • Pitcairn Islands
          • Poland
          • Portugal
          • Puerto Rico
          • Qatar
          • Republic of the Congo
          • Réunion
          • Romania
          • Russia
          • Rwanda
          • Saba
          • St. Barthelemy
          • Saint Helena
          • St. Kitts and Nevis
          • St. Lucia
          • Saint Martin
          • St. Pierre-et-Miquelon
          • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
          • Samoa
          • San Marino
          • Sao Tome and Principe
          • Saudi Arabia
          • Senegal
          • Serbia
          • Seychelles
          • Sierra Leone
          • Singapore
          • Sint Eustatius
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Solomon Islands
          • Somalia
          • South Africa
          • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
          • South Korea
          • South Sudan
          • Spain
          • Sri Lanka
          • Sudan
          • Suriname
          • Swaziland
          • Sweden
          • Switzerland
          • Syria
          • Tahiti
          • Taiwan
          • Tajikistan
          • Tanzania
          • Thailand
          • Togo
          • Tokelau
          • Tonga
          • Trinidad and Tobago
          • Tunisia
          • Turkey
          • Turkmenistan
          • Turks and Caicos Islands
          • Tuvalu
          • U.S. Virgin Islands
          • Uganda
          • Ukraine
          • United Arab Emirates
          • United Kingdom
          • United States
          • Uruguay
          • Uzbekistan
          • Vanuatu
          • Vatican
          • Venezuela
          • Vietnam
          • Wake Island
          • Western Sahara
          • Yemen
          • Zambia
          • Zimbabwe
    • Close
  • Travel Medicine
    • Travel Medical Services
        • Vaccines for Travel
        • Travel Health Consulting
        • Travellers’ Diarrhea Kits
        • Dengue Fever Prevention
        • Malaria Medication
        • Chikungunya Prevention
        • Zika Virus Prevention
        • Ebola Virus
        • Coronavirus
    • Close
  • Vaccinations
    • Key Travel Vaccines
      • Typhoid
      • Yellow Fever
      • Hepatitis A
      • Rabies
      • Japanese Encephalitis
      • Drug Identification Numbers (DIN)
    • Other Travel Vaccines
      • Cholera (Dukoral)
      • Hep A/Typhoid Combo (Vivaxim)
      • Hepatitis B
      • Malaria Information
      • Meningitis
      • Polio
    • Routine Vaccinations
      • Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis
      • Measles – Mumps – Rubella (MMR)
      • Pneumonia
      • Shingles
      • Influenza (The Flu)
    • Close
  • Other Services
    • Additional Services
      • TB Tests
      • Physician Referral Program
    • Close
  • For Employers
    • Corporate Wellness Solutions
      • Travel Medicine & Vaccinations
      • Onsite Flu Clinics
      • Onsite Vaccination Clinics
      • Biometric Screenings
      • Vaccine Credentialing
    • Close
  • Locations
        • Ontario
          Barrie Travel Clinic
          Brampton Travel Clinic
          Carlington - Ottawa Travel Clinic
          Downtown - Ottawa Travel Clinic
          Etobicoke Travel Clinic
          Hamilton Travel Clinic
          Kingston Travel Clinic
          Kitchener Travel Clinic
          London Travel Clinic
          Markham Travel Clinic
          Mississauga Travel Clinic
          North York Travel Clinic
          Oakville Travel Clinic
          Richmond Hill Travel Clinic
          St. Catharines Travel Clinic
          Toronto Travel Clinic
          Whitby Travel Clinic
          Yorkville Travel Clinic
        • Alberta
          Chinook - Calgary Travel Clinic
          Downtown Calgary Travel Clinic
          Downtown Edmonton Travel Clinic
          Southeast Edmonton Travel Clinic
          St. Albert Travel Clinic
        • British Columbia
          Burnaby Travel Clinic
          Downtown Vancouver Travel Clinic
          North Vancouver Travel Clinic
          Richmond Travel Clinic
          Surrey Travel Clinic
        • Quebec
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Centre-Ville Montréal
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Laval
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Ville de Québec
          Clinique Santé-Voyage Westmount
    • Close

What is the Chikungunya Virus?

May 16, 2022 by Ann Rapier

Chikungunya can cause serious long-term effects.

When people think of mosquito-spread diseases, they normally think about the Zika virus, malaria, and West Nile virus. One mosquito-borne disease less talked about is the Chikungunya virus. Although it may not be as well-known in certain parts of the world, it does impact certain continents including Africa, India, and Asia. And as recently as 2015 certain areas of the Americas experienced an outbreak of the virus.

Let’s take a closer look at the Chikungunya virus — what it is, how it affects the body, and what treatment and prevention are available for travelers.

What is the Chikungunya virus?

The chikungunya (pronounced chi-kuhn-goo-nyuh) virus is a disease spread to humans by bites from infected mosquitoes. The disease was first seen in Tanzania in 1952. In fact, the name “chikungunya” is a word from the Kimakonde language spoken by an ethnic group in Tanzania and Mozambique. The word “chikungunya” means “to become contorted” and describes one of the symptoms of the disease, which is joint pain.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), while the virus remained mostly in Tanzania and outlying areas until 2004 when it began to spread to other countries and continents, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The most recent largest outbreak of the chikungunya virus occurred in 2015. This outbreak affected a number of countries in the Americas.

What are the symptoms of the Chikungunya virus?

Patients infected with the chikungunya virus normally begin to show symptoms between four to eight days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. However, symptoms can take up to 12 days to appear.

Common symptoms of the Chikungunya virus include:

  • Fever
  • Joint pain and/or swelling
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Rash
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea

Because the chikungunya virus shares similar symptoms to other mosquito-borne illnesses like the Zika virus and dengue, it is sometimes misdiagnosed. If a doctor suspects you have the chikungunya virus, they will use a blood test to find out.

How is the Chikungunya virus treated and prevented?

The good news is many times symptoms of the chikungunya virus are mild. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), almost all virus treatment occurs at home with bed rest, hydration, and over-the-counter pain medications to help ease symptoms.

But, in some cases, chikungunya virus infections can cause heart, neurological, ophthalmological, and gastrointestinal issues.

The PAHO says causes of death from the virus are rare. If death does occur, it is almost always due to an existing health issue.

Unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine to protect against the chikungunya virus. There is currently a vaccine candidate in Phase III clinical trials from French vaccine maker Valneva. The Phase III trial includes over 4,000 US adults. Early reports show the vaccine provides 98.5% protection within 28 days of receiving vaccine.

If you’ll be traveling to an area where the chikungunya virus is common, you will need to know what prevention options are available. Contact one of Passport Health’s travel health specialists to discuss how the chikungunya virus may impact your travel plans. Make sure you can go with Passport Health. Call or book online to schedule your appointment today.

Written for Passport Health by Elle Johnson. Elle is a freelance journalist and social media content creator in Florida. Not only does she enjoy working as a freelancer, but in her free time she enjoys working on fictional stories.

Filed Under: General Posts

About Us

Passport Health's blog provides travelers and travel enthusiasts with a variety of news and features. We focus on bringing the most interesting and relevant stories right to our readers. Topics range from the vaccines needed for a destination to updates on recent outbreaks, travel advice and much more. Feel free to check out some of our most popular posts, linked in the sidebar, or our most recent posts below

Recent Blog Posts

  • How Did the New Omicron Variant Develop? Why Did it Develop So Quickly?
  • When to Get the Twinrix Vaccine Before Traveling Abroad
  • Will There Ever Be a Cure For HPV?
  • The History of AIDS

Blog Archives

  • About Us
  • Clinical Trials
  • Contact Us
  • PIPEDA Policy and Consent Form
  • Privacy Policy
  • Automatic Data Collection Statement
  • Sitemap
Schedule Your Appointment
Questions? Please call or E-mail Us
Connect With Us:
Passport Health Canada on Facebook
Passport Health on Twitter
Passport Health on YouTube
Passport Health on Instagram
Passport Health on Linked In
Passport Health Feed

Passport Health is an Outlier business Passport Health es una empresa que pertenece al grupo Outlier Passport Health est une entreprise du groupe Outlier Copyright © 2023