Chikungunya Virus May Lead to Long-Term Joint Pain

For now, Dr. Chang says prevention is key.

“DEET works better than other insect repellants for mosquitoes and can prevent transmission of the CHIKV and Zika viruses,” Dr. Chang says. “Patients traveling to a hot, humid area where infection cases have been reported should be encouraged to use DEET over their sunscreen as a precaution.”

Linda Childers is a health writer located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

References

1. Chang AY, Tritsch SR, Encinales L, et al. Chronic joint pain three years after chikungunya virus infection largely characterized by relapsing-remitting symptoms. J Rheumatol. 2020 Aug 1;47(8):1267–1274. Epub 2019 Jul 1.
2. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Chikungunya virus. 2019 Sep 19.
3. Chang AY, Encinales L, Pacheco N, et al. Frequency of chronic joint pain following a chikungunya virus infection: A Colombia cohort study. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018 Apr;70(4):578–584. Epub 2018 Mar 2.
4. Hackett DW. Chikungunya vaccine candidate to begin testing in Europe. Precision Vaccination. 2020 Jan 14.