Know the characteristics of the disease caused by two types of mosquito and with symptoms similar to those of dengue. Caused by a virus, chikungunya fever is transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti – the same transmitters of yellow fever and dengue , respectively. According to the Ministry of Health, pregnant women infected with the chikungunya virus can also transmit it during childbirth, which can cause serious infection in the newborn. Chikungunya fever originates from Africa and was discovered in the early 1950s in Tanzania. Since the end of 2013, it has spread rapidly across Latin America. In Brazil, the first case was registered in 2010, but the patient had been infected abroad. In 2014, the first cases of internal transmission of the disease in the country were registered, indicating that the virus had reached the Brazilian territory. Symptoms of the disease Both chikungunya and dengue have clinically similar symptoms: high fever, headache, muscle aches, red spots on the skin, nausea, fatigue, in addition to severe joint pain, especially in the feet and hands. “Chikungunya affects the joints and skin, causing very intense pain in the muscles and joints and small red spots all over the body”, describes infectologist Renato Grinbaum, from the Brazilian Society of Infectology. But unlike dengue fever, chikungunya fever is not hemorrhagic. Severe joint pain, however, can last for months. In approximately 30% of cases, it has no symptoms. After infection, the body creates antibodies, thus becoming immune to the virus. Fatal cases of the disease are rare, but in elderly people with other chronic diseases it can contribute as a cause of death. “Older people or people with a predisposition to genetic joint diseases can develop chronic diseases after chikungunya,” says Grinbaum. Risk group Small children, people over 65, pregnant women and patients with comorbidities, such as diabetes, are part of the chikungunya risk group, according to the Ministry of Health. Among the chronic rheumatological diseases triggered after chikungunya infection is rheumatoid arthritis. Depression, Parkinson’s disease and Guillain-Barré syndrome have also been described. The incubation period of the virus ranges from 2 to 10 days, and can reach up to 12 days. There is no vaccine or viral medication to treat chikungunya fever. Thus, the only way to prevent its spread is to combat the transmitting mosquito, eliminating outbreaks and avoiding the accumulation of standing water. Registration in Brazil since 2014 The virus that causes the disease was registered for the first time in Brazil in 2014, in the Northeast. Currently, the infectious agent and its vector, the female Aedes mosquito, circulates throughout the country. “All regions are susceptible to an outbreak of chikungunya, since the Aedes mosquito circulates throughout the country”, explains Grinbaum. In mild cases, the infectologist warns that the symptoms of chikungunya may be similar to those of dengue, influenza and covid-19. “All these diseases are similar in the milder cases: the infected person will have a fever, muscle pain, fatigue, etc.”, explains Grinbaum. In severe cases of influenza and covid-19, unlike chikungunya and dengue, the patient has an affected lung. “Both influenza and covid are caused by viruses that attack the respiratory system and have a predilection for the lungs. These patients have symptoms such as dry cough, shortness of breath and low saturation”, explains the infectologist. In cases where the symptoms are strong, the professional advises the patient to look for a hospital. “Unlike covid, there is hardly any ICU capacity during a chikungunya outbreak, but if muscle and joint pain persists after infection, the patient will need follow-up with an infectologist and rheumatologist”, says Grinbaum. 
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