Chikungunya

Chikungunya virus was first isolated from patients during an epidemic in Tanzania in 1952-53. Chikungunya is a Makonde word (one of the local languages in Tanzania) meaning ' that which bends up', and describes the symptoms caused by the severe joint pains that usually accompany the infection.

Chikungunya occurs in Africa (more specifically west Africa from Senegal to Cameroon, central and east Africa including Central African Republic, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, eastern Botswana, and north eastern parts of South Africa; there is also evidence of viral presence in parts of Ethiopia and Sudan), and Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia). Outbreaks have also been seen in Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guinea, and more recently, on islands in the Indian Ocean, including Réunion, Mayotte, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. Chikungunya does not occur in the United Kingdom, but on average since 1999, six cases have been imported from endemic regions each year. In 2006, however, there has been an increase in imported cases due to the outbreaks on the islands in the Indian Ocean.

Photo: James Gathany, CDC