Chikungunya: disease is similar to dengue but rarely leads to death

Chikungunya can be summarized as a disease caused by a virus and transmitted by mosquitoes, with symptoms very similar to those of Dengue.

It is curious to know that the word? Chikungunya? means? those who bend? in Swahili, one of Tanzanian languages, and refers to the curved appearance of patients who were treated in the first documented epidemic in Tanzania in East Africa between 1952 and 1953.

Chikungunya x Dengue

Alberto Chebabo, an infectologist at Lavoisier Diagnostic Medicine, explains that Chikungunya or Chikungunha is an acute viral disease transmitted by the same dengue-transmitting mosquito. It has a clinical picture similar to dengue fever, with fever and headache.


But unlike dengue, where there is widespread muscle pain, in Chikungunha fever, there is intense joint pain. Both are acute febrile diseases. The main difference is that in dengue, pain is mainly muscular, whereas in Chikungunha fever, pain is mainly articular. In addition, Chikungunha has fewer hemorrhagic complications than dengue, but may develop chronic, sometimes disabling joint pain, lasting up to three years in some cases. Chikungunha fever has no mortality as in dengue, but can lead to longer illnesses, says the infectologist Chebabo.

How does the transmission of Chikungunya occur?

Max Igor Banks Ferreira Lopes, infectious physician at Santa Catarina Hospital and HCFMUSP, explains that Chikungunya transmission occurs through the bite of mosquitoes infected with this virus. ? The main species related to transmission are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, the same ones involved with the transmission of dengue?

Read also: How to protect your home from dengue


Infectologist Lopes adds that there may also be transmission between the blood of infected and susceptible people, such as in a laboratory or collection accident.

"And finally, intrauterine transmission from the mother to the fetus is possible, or during delivery, if the mother is infected," says infectious physician Max Lopes.

Chikungunya Symptoms

Max Lopes points out that most infected people have symptoms. After 3 to 7 days, there is a sudden onset of fever and diffuse joint pain. Can joint pain be so intense that it limits daily activities?


Other symptoms, according to the infectologist, are:

  • Headache;
  • Conjunctivitis;
  • Nausea and vomiting;
  • Arthritis;
  • Rash on the skin.

Infectologist Alberto Chebabo adds that symptoms of Chikungunya Fever usually improve within a week.

Read also: Dengue: Myths and Truths About Disease

Chikungunya Diagnosis

Alberto Chebabo explains that the diagnosis is made by detecting the virus by PCR (C-Reactive Protein, an exam that measures inflammation) or by serology that, as in dengue, is positive at the end of the first week of disease.

Chikungunya Treatment

Fábio Castelo Branco, biologist and director of Astral Environmental Health, points out that the treatment is symptomatic. "That is, unfortunately there is no cure or vaccine yet," he says.

Alberto Chebabo reinforces that, as in the case of dengue, there is no specific medication against the virus. The recommendation is to use symptomatic medications to control fever and pain. It is important for the patient to rest and drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration ?, he adds.

According to Max Lopes, the disease usually resolves between 7 and 10 days. "Serious cases are rare," he says.

How to prevent Chikungunya

Biologist Fábio Castelo Branco points out that the precautions to prevent Chikungunya are the same as those recommended in the case of dengue: use repellent and eliminate mosquito outbreaks, thus protecting themselves from the bite.

Read also: Baby Fever: A Complete Guide to Answering All Your Questions

Infectious doctor Lopes emphasizes that prevention is related to measures to reduce the chance of bites by infected mosquitoes. "Thus, the use of repellents, trousers and long-sleeved blouses and mosquito nets help reduce the chance of infection in hazardous areas," he says.

Here are some general prevention tips:

  • Use repellent (in places where you are subject to bites);
  • Wear long-sleeved pants and blouses (where you are prone to stinging);
  • Use mosquito screens;
  • Keep the water box tightly closed;
  • Do not accumulate containers in the yard;
  • Check that the gutters are not clogged;
  • Put sand in the potted plant dishes, among other initiatives aimed at eliminating mosquito breeding grounds.

Chikungunya Scenario in Brazil

The Ministry of Health recently updated the Chikungunya virus situation in Brazil. Through laboratory tests, 79 cases of Chikungunya Fever in Brazil were confirmed by September 27, 2014.

Of this total, 38 cases are imported from people who have traveled to countries with transmission of the disease, such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela, the Caribbean Islands, and French Guiana. The other 41 cases were diagnosed in people without an international travel record for countries where transmission occurs.

Dengue and Chikungunya in Our Backyard: Preventing Aedes Mosquito-Borne Diseases (March 2024)


  • Prevention and Treatment
  • 1,230