Chikungunya

Chikungunya is a rare viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. It occurs during the rainy season in tropical areas of the world, primarily in Africa, Southeast Asia, southern India and Pakistan, and the symptoms are most often clinically indistinguishable from those observed in dengue fever. Dual infection of dengue and chikungunya is also possible as has been reported in India. Therefore, it is very important to clinically distinguish dengue from CHIK infection. CHIK is diagnosed based on serological analysis and viral isolation in mice or tissue culture. An IgM immunoassay is the most practical lab test method.