Abstract
Chikungunya (CHIK) virus has re-emerged as an important vector-borne pathogen causing epidemics in some parts of the world. A large scale epidemic of CHIK fever occurred in Kenya in 2004 and spread to Indian Ocean islands, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
The CHIK fever had registered to the Category IV infectious disease under the Infectious Control Low and the Quarantine Act revised in February 1, 2011. CHIK fever is characterized by acute febrile illness with arthralgia that accompanies high fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, low back pain and rash lasting 3-10 days. The joint pains may last for weeks to months after acute illness. The CHIK virus genome is a member of the Alphavirus genus, the family Togaviridae. The endemics have occurred in urban areas where A. aegypti and A. albopictus are vectors in tropical Asia and Indian Ocean islands. Sylvatic transmission cycles involving forest-dwelling Aedes spp. and wild primates, rodents and chiroptera maintain endemicity in Africa.
