You searched for: “chikungunya
Chikungunya (CHICK-n-gunya) (s) (noun)
An urban disease resembling dengue fever, seen mainly in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia, caused by an arbovirus (class of viruses transmitted to humans by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks) transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes: "The most prominent frequent feature is severe arthritis. It is a disease that means "that which bends up" in the Makonde language in East Africa, since the afflicted are often contorted from joint pains."

"Chikungunya fever is characterized by sudden onset, chills and fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, arthralgia, and rash."

"The disease is spread by mosquitoes, particularly the Asian tiger mosquito, an invasive species that is expanding from the southeastern United States and may reach as far north as New York."

"The danger of Chikungunya virus being introduced into the Americas is becoming increasingly a realty."

This entry is located in the following unit: diseases (page 1)