This is going to tick you off.
Pronounced “chicken – gun-ya”. Never heard of it till my daughter went to India last year and had to get the shot.
I looked it up. It ain’t Ebola, but not a day at the beach either.
As climate change drives mosquitoes north, Europe and North America are emerging as hotspots for chikungunya virus, a new study warns.
Warmer temperatures may expand mosquito habitats, increasing chikungunya risk areas globally, a new study has found.
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiologyand carried out by scientists in China, found that 139 countries or regions are risk zones for chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease. This accounts for 21.3% of the world’s land mass.
“But we show that under climate change models, the virus will further expand northward into temperate regions, especially northeastern North America, central Europe, and East Asia,” said Dr Ye Xu, co-author of the study.
Chikungunya has been mainly transmitted by the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti, a species that thrives in human settlements in the tropics.
However, in recent years, global climate change and cross-regional population mobility have influenced the expansion of disease-carrying mosquitoes and the spread of viral variants.
During a chikungunya outbreak in the Indian Ocean in 2005-2006, scientists recorded a mutation in the virus that enhanced its adaptability to a different mosquito, the Asian tiger mosquito.
“Because this mosquito can tolerate cooler conditions better than the yellow fever mosquito, warming may allow it to establish in places that used to be too cold,” said Dr Yang Wu, co-author of the study.
“When suitable mosquitoes become established, the chance of local chikungunya transmission increases.”
Researchers found that warmer temperatures also speed up how fast the virus develops inside the mosquito. With temperatures between 18C and 28C, the virus becomes ready to spread about four to five times faster, increasing outbreak risks.
Most people infected with chikungunya virus will develop some symptoms. Symptoms usually begin 3–7 days after an infected mosquito bites you.
- The most common symptoms are fever and joint pain.
- Other symptoms can include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.
- People at risk for more severe disease include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults (≥65 years), and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.
- Most patients feel better within a week. However, joint pain can be severe and disabling and might persist for months.
- Death from chikungunya is rare.
Per the NIH: The Aedes aegypti eggs can survive dry conditions for over 6 months. When submerged in water, they can hatch in as little as 2 days.