Chikungunya- Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

What is Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease which was first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952. It is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The name “chikungunya” derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted”. 

Symptoms of Chikungunya

You will start witnessing the symptoms 3–7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Fever and joint pain are the most common symptoms, while others include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. Joint pain in most of the cases, persist for months.

Diagnosis of Chikungunya

Currently, there is no preventive vaccine available for Chikungunya but there is an urgent need for the same. Some of the tests which are available include – Viral culture, serologic and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based tests, etc.

Treatment of Chikungunya

Treatment of Chikungunya includes taking plenty of rest, preventing mosquito bites, drink fluids to prevent dehydration, taking medicines such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or paracetamol to reduce fever and pain. One should not take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS until dengue can be ruled out to reduce the risk of bleeding) and consult a doctor before taking any medicine.

When should you see your doctor?

You should see a doctor as early as possible if you feel the symptoms of Chikungunya are starting to show up. The doctor will suggest a series of tests to check for the presence of Chikungunya virus in the body and further diagnose a proper course of treatment.

While there are many laboratories for medical testing but we recommend you to visit Dr Dangs lab in Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi, which was started in 1983 with Dr. Manju Dang, MD and Dr. Navin Dang, MD as the 2 partners in Dr Dangs Laboratory. It has evolved to be known as one of the best quality based diagnostic labs in the country. It has received numerous national and international awards and offers a wide menu of tests in Biochemistry, Haematology including Flowcytometry, Microbiology, Molecular biology, Immunology, Histopathology and Cytology.