Chikungunya Fever - Symptoms

Chikungunya attacks can cause sudden onset of fever until the temperature can reach 39 Celsius degrees. This fever accompanied by chills and pain in the joints. This virus was first discovered in Africa in 1952, and then spread to several countries. Chikungunya is derived from the Shawill language which means twisted or curved body. So called because most people would crouch for help feeling pain in bones and joints.

Many people think the disease is similar to dengue fever. Both do have similar symptoms, and carried by the same mosquito named Aedes aegypti. But the type of viruses their carried are different. Chikungunya is caused by Alphavirus.

Chikungunya Symptoms

The main symptoms of this disease are the body suddenly felt a fever accompanied by pain in the joints. While the typical symptoms of this disease is joint and bone pains felt sore and aching. Especially in the knee joints, spine, wrist, fingers and toes. that’s why this disease is also often referred to as avian bone. Other symptoms such as loss of taste on the tongue until the nausea accompanied by vomiting.

In children, symptoms appear such as:

Sudden onset of fever and the skin becomes red. After 3 – 5 days will appear reddish spots. The eyes become red accompanied by signs such as the flu. High fever is sometimes also lead to seizures.

In contrast to dengue fever, Chikungunya in the case did not find any bleeding, shock and death.

Incubation period

Chikungunya disease incubation period can be 2 – 4 days. While the manifestations of this disease will last for 3 – 10 days. These diseases include self-limiting disease, which can resolve on their own without treatment. The good news, this disease is difficult to attack the same person. This means that people who ever attacked by Chikungunya, was unlikely to experience this pain again. Because the patient’s body already has an antibodies that can make their bodies become resistant to this disease.

Chikungunya Transmission

In fact Chikungunya transmission occurs by mosquitoes and is not caused by contact with a sick patient. So if a family member is sick, then spread to other family members, it was not caused by their sick first, but most likely caused by the same mosquito that then bites the other family members.