Epidemiology
Chikungunya is an infectious tropical disease due to a virus (Alphavirus of the Togaviridae family).
It is an arbovirus, transmitted by bites of female mosquitoes of the genus Aedes (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Aedes polynesiensis, etc.).
Aedes mosquitoes bite mainly during the day (mostly in the early morning and at the end of the day). The virus appeared for the first time in Tanzania in 1953.
Today, this disease is present in Africa and Southeast Asia and has affected the Indian Ocean (Reunion, Comora, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Mayotte, etc.) since 2005.
In 2006, 266,000 persons were infected with the disease in Reunion. India also experienced an epidemic in 2005, and in October 2006, over 1.4 million suspected cases were reported to the Indian authorities.
Symptoms
Following 2 to 10 days of incubation, a high fever suddenly appears, along with effects on the joints, mainly in the wrists, ankles, knuckles and feet.
Its name, Chikungunya, which in Swahili means "he who walks bent forward", comes from this joint pain.
Headaches, muscle pain (in 70 to 90% of cases) and maculopapular rash on the torso and limbs (in 50% of cases) also often occur. Occasionally, mild bleeding such as of the gums and nose will occur, mainly in children.
Generally, the disease has a favourable outcome without sequelae, but it sometimes progresses to a chronic phase, marked by severe joint pain, which can last for several months.
Since 2005, serious forms have been reported in a few rare patients with serious neurological forms (meningoencephalitis and polyradiculoneuritis).
Treatment
Treatment consists of treating the symptoms only: analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Prevention
1. Vaccination
No vaccine currently exists. Research is ongoing.
2. Prevention therefore consists of avoiding mosquito bites
The only way to protect oneself is to avoid mosquito bites via personal protection:
- wearing ample clothing that covers the body,
- use of appropriate repellent product for the body and insecticide product for clothing (Moustifluid High Protection Tropical Zones and Moustifluid Lotion For Fabrics and Clothing Tropical Zones) and repellent-sprayed mosquito nets (Moustifluid Lotion For Fabrics and Clothing Tropical Zones).