Information

Chikungunya fever is a virus that is spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Symptoms can include sudden fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain with or without swelling, lower back pain, and a rash. Chikungunya mainly occurs in areas of Africa and Asia (see theChikungunya Distribution and Global Map webpage). In 2007, limited transmission of chikungunya virus occurred in Italy. Countries that have experienced recent outbreaks of chikungunya fever include India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

Advice for Travelers

No medications or vaccines are available to prevent a person from getting sick with chikungunya fever. CDC cautions persons traveling overseas to areas where chikungunya has been reported to protect themselves from mosquito bites using the following steps.

• Use insect repellent on exposed skin during the day and at night. Mosquitoes that spread yellow fever virus are active during the day. Mosquitoes that spread malaria are active in the early morning and at dusk.
  • Look for a repellent that contains one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin (KBR 3023), Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus/PMD, or IR3535. Always follow the instructions on the label when you use the repellent.
  • In general, repellents protect longer against mosquito bites when they have a higher concentration (%) of any of these active ingredients. However, concentrations above 50% do not offer a marked increase in protection time. Products with less than10% of an active ingredient may offer only limited protection, often from 1-2 hours.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics approves of the use of repellents with up to 30% DEET on children over 2 months of age.
  • For more information on the use of insect repellents, visit:Insect and Arthropod Protection in the CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008.

If you get sick with a fever and suspect you might have chikungunya, you should seek medical care and avoid further mosquito bites as you could transmit the disease to other people via mosquitoes. Though there is no specific treatment for the disease, a doctor may be able to help treat your symptoms.

For more travel health information, see the destinations section and search for the country you are planning to visit.

More Information

The incubation period for chikungunya (time from infection to illness) can be 2-12 days, but is usually 3-7 days. Chikungunya fever typically lasts a few days to a couple of weeks, but some patients feel fatigue lasting several weeks. Some patients have reported incapacitating joint pain, or arthritis which may last for weeks or months. The symptoms are very similar to those of dengue fever, but, unlike dengue, patients do not usually experience hemorrhage (bleeding) or go into shock. People with chikungunya fever generally get better on their own and rarely die from the disease.

There is no specific drug treatment for chikungunya fever, and medical care is usually focused on treating the symptoms of the disease. Bed rest, fluids, and mild pain medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or acetaminophen (paracetamol) may relieve symptoms of fever and aching, provided that there are no medical contraindications for using these medications. Few people are sick enough to need to stay in the hospital. All people who become sick with chikungunya fever should be protected against additional mosquito bites to reduce the risk of further transmission of the virus.

To learn more information about chikungunya fever, visit CDC’s Chikungunya webpage.

Other Mosquito-Related Diseases

In many of the areas where chikungunya is present, there are other diseases spread by mosquito bites, such as dengue, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever. If you are traveling to any tropical and subtropical areas of the world, you should take steps to avoid mosquito bites, especially during rainy seasons.