Know about Chikungunya

CHIKV was first identified in the United Republic of Tanzania in 1952, and it has since spread to other African and Asian countries (1). The first urban outbreaks were discovered in Thailand in 1967, and in India in the 1970s (2). Since 2004, CHIKV outbreaks have become more frequent and widespread, owing in part to viral adaptations that allow the virus to be spread more easily by Aedes albopictus mosquitos. CHIKV has been found in over 110 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Transmission has been halted on islands where a large proportion of the population has been infected and then become immune; however, transmission frequently continues in countries where a large proportion of the population has not yet been infected.

Local mosquito-borne transmission has now occurred in all regions with established populations of Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

Chikungunya virus is spread by mosquitos, most notably Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, which can also spread dengue and Zika viruses. These mosquitos bite primarily during the day. They lay their eggs in containers that have standing water. Both species feed outside, and Aedes aegypti also feeds inside.

When an uninfected mosquito bites a person with CHIKV in their blood, the mosquito can consume the virus. The virus then replicates in the mosquito for several days before reaching its salivary glands and being transmitted to a new human host when the mosquito bites them. The virus replicates again in this newly infected person, reaching high concentrations in their blood at which point they can infect other mosquitos and continue the transmission cycle.

The onset of CHIKV disease in symptomatic patients is typically 4-8 days (range 2-12 days) after the bite of an infected mosquito. It is distinguished by a sudden onset of fever, which is frequently accompanied by severe joint pain. The joint pain is frequently incapacitating and usually lasts a few days, but it can be prolonged, lasting weeks, months, or even years. Joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash are also common signs and symptoms. Because these symptoms overlap with those of other infections, such as those caused by the dengue and Zika viruses, cases can be misdiagnosed. In the absence of severe joint pain, symptoms in infected people are typically mild, and the infection may go unnoticed.

Most patients recover completely from the infection; however, CHIKV infections have been linked to rare cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications. Patients at the extremes of the age spectrum are more likely to develop severe disease. Infected newborns and elderly people with underlying medical conditions may become critically ill, and CHIKV infection can increase the risk of death.

Using tests such as reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the Chikungunya virus can be detected directly in blood samples collected during the first week of illness.

Other chikungunya rapid tests can detect a person's immune response to infection with the Chikungunya virus. These are typically used after the first week of infection to detect virus antibodies. Antibody levels are typically detectable within the first week of illness onset and can be detected for up to two months.

https://www.yicare-medical.com/rapid-test/infectious-disease-tests/chikungunya-rapid-test.html