Chikungunya Virus/Disease

Course overview

Purpose The purpose of this continuing education course is to stress the challenges, and the increase in reported cases of Chikungunya (CHIK). In addition to educated health care professional on the prevalence of (CHIK) and how this disease affects individuals and the communities in that the live. Objectives 1.Describe how the Chikungunya virus is transmitted. 2.Discuss the signs and symptom of Chikungunya. 3.List laboratory tests performed for diagnosing Chikungunya. 4.Understand the treatment Options for Chikungunya. 5.Discuss the Prognosis for Chikungunya. 6.Describe the educational and preventative measure for Chikungunya. Chikungunya Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne alpha-virus that has the ability to cause acute febrile illness, severe pain and stiffness of the joints (polyarthralgia). Mortality is rare but the joint pains can be debilitating. According to Staples, Breiman, and Powers, (2009) the acute symptoms typically resolve within 7-10 days. However, some patients experience persistent joint pains for months to years. According to Panning et al. (2009), chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is the cause of chikungunya disease. The disease is primarily transmitted by two mosquito species known as Aaedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The effects of chikungunya can be widespread in very short amounts of time as mosquitoes are known to be fundamentally everywhere. In 2005 and 2006 an endemic in south Asia impacted 1.3 million people in India and another 37,000 in Sri Lanka, (Panning et al., 2009). Because of the ease and increase in transmission, similarities in symptoms to many other diseases, and the debilitating effects, it is best for western medical professionals to remain up-to-date on chikungunya-related developments.