Analysis of Diseases
Overview Chikungunya (CHIK) refers to a re-emerging arboviral disease transmitted by the mosquitos Aedes aegypty and Aedes albopictus (Pialoux 318). The virus belongs to the genus Alphavirus and family Togaviridae. The word chikungunya derives from Makonde language (spoken in Tanzania and northern Mozambique), where it means “to walk bent over” (Halstead 557). This name refers to the main feature of both chronic and acute phase of the disease a change in posture causes by the arthritis and arthralgia (Charrel, Lamballerie and Raoult 769).
History
The disease gained its name after the outbreak in Tanganyika, the modern Tanzania in 1952. However, ...
