Chikungunya Virus

VADS CORNER — Chikungunya virus · Alphavirus · Togaviridae
Online since 5 August 2001 · Comprehensively revised 9 September 2026

This page covers chikungunya, a viral disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus of the family Togaviridae, transmitted to humans primarily by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The page was first posted in August 2001 and updated at intervals through November 2010. A first vaccine (VIMKUNYA) reached FDA approval in February 2025; a second (IXCHIQ) had its licence suspended in August 2025 on safety grounds.

About this revision. This page was last substantively updated in November 2010. Many links — particularly to CDC’s legacy ncidod directory, early virology resource sites, and personal university pages — have since become defunct. Working links have been corrected or replaced where possible; where a direct equivalent exists, dead links are replaced in the main text and the original URL is noted in the archive block below. Where no equivalent exists, the dead link is retained in the archive block for the record. The two original inline images have been updated to current equivalents. The page as it stood before this revision is preserved at oldchikungunya.html.

NEW added or confirmed in this revision FIXED URL corrected or source replaced ARCHIVE link dead, retained for the record VERIFY could not be confirmed — check before relying on it

Resource sites

WHO
- WHO: Chikungunya fact sheet FIXED
- WHO Disease Outbreak News: Chikungunya global situation, October 2025 NEW 445,271 cases and 155 deaths reported globally, January–September 2025.
- WHO Disease Outbreak News: Chikungunya fever epidemic in Réunion Island, 2025 NEW 54,550 biologically confirmed cases and 43 deaths in the 2024–2025 Réunion outbreak; epidemic declared over 24 June 2025.
- Disease outbreak news — WHO
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Chikungunya virus — CDC FIXED
- Areas at risk for chikungunya — CDC NEW Updated 3 September 2026.
- CDC Travelers’ Health: Chikungunya FIXED
- Chikungunya — CDC Yellow Book (Health Information for International Travel) NEW
- CDC MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Chikungunya — European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) NEW
ECDC: Chikungunya worldwide overview (monthly update) NEW 219,522 cases and 81 deaths reported globally January–July 2026.
Chikungunya — NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) NEW Plain-language patient-facing overview: symptoms, causes, affected populations, and clinical resources.
ProMED-mail — Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases

About chikungunya virus — virology and taxonomy

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an RNA virus of the genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae. The name derives from a Makonde word meaning “that which bends up,” describing the stooped posture of those afflicted with severe joint pain. First isolated in Tanzania in 1952, the virus re-emerged and spread widely from 2004 onward, reaching the Americas in 2013. As of December 2024, autochthonous transmission has been documented in 119 countries and territories across all six WHO regions.

Chikungunya — Wikipedia FIXED
Togaviridae — ICTV Virus Taxonomy Report FIXED Authoritative taxonomy and classification for the Togaviridae family.
Togaviridae — ViralZone (ExPASy) FIXED Replaces the defunct virology.net Togaviridae page. ViralZone covers virion structure, genome, replication cycle, and proteome for the entire family.
Alphavirus — ViralZone (ExPASy) NEW Genus-level entry covering chikungunya and related alphaviruses: molecular biology, natural hosts, transmission, and associated diseases.
Chikungunya virus taxonomy — NCBI FIXED
Chikungunya virus sequences — NCBI Virus NEW Replaces the defunct Viral Bioinformatics Resource Centre (athena.bioc.uvic.ca). Search, browse, and download CHIKV genome sequences.
Viral Bioinformatics Research Centre (4virology.net) FIXED The original athena.bioc.uvic.ca site is gone; the resource continues at 4virology.net under Dr Chris Upton (University of Victoria), focusing on large DNA viruses and SARS-CoV-2. Free registration required.
Institute for Molecular Virology — University of Wisconsin–Madison FIXED The original virology.wisc.edu/IMV path has been reorganised; the Institute’s current home is at virology.wisc.edu. Founded 1961, housed in the R.M. Bock Laboratories.
UCD National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) — University College Dublin FIXED The original clinical-virology.org domain is gone; the NVRL is at nvrl.ucd.ie. Ireland’s national reference virology diagnostic service, performing over 700,000 tests annually across 40 pathogens.
Microbiology & Immunology on the WWW — Togaviruses, Leicester University FIXED Original server gone; Wayback Machine snapshot (January 2012) accessible. Historical teaching resource covering alphavirus and togavirus biology.
Detection of Airborne Viruses — KTH Micro and Nanosystems FIXED The original Stacken KTH virology pages (mic.stacken.kth.se) are gone; this is current KTH research on airborne virus detection relevant to vector-borne and respiratory viral surveillance.

Legacy virology pages (historical)

The Big Picture Book of Viruses: Togaviridae (virology.net) ARCHIVE Domain gone. Replaced above by ViralZone Togaviridae. Wayback Machine.

Symptoms and clinical presentation

Source: WHO: Chikungunya fact sheet

Symptoms typically appear 3–7 days after the bite of an infected mosquito (range: 1–12 days). The disease is rarely fatal but can be severely debilitating, particularly the joint pain, which may persist for months or years in some patients. Neonates infected around the time of birth and older adults with underlying conditions are at greater risk of severe disease.

Sudden onset of fever (often high, >39°C)
Severe joint pain (arthralgia) — the hallmark symptom, typically affecting the hands, wrists, ankles and feet bilaterally
Muscle pain (myalgia)
Headache
Nausea
Fatigue
Skin rash (usually maculopapular, appearing 2–5 days after fever onset)

Transmission and vectors

Chikungunya is transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito). Both are daytime biters. Unlike some arboviral diseases, chikungunya is not transmitted person-to-person, except rarely through blood products or vertical transmission from mother to newborn around the time of delivery.

Chikungunya transmission — CDC FIXED Replaces old cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Chikungunya/CH_Transmission.html.
Aedes aegypti factsheet — ECDC NEW
Exotic mosquitoes a clear and present danger for Australians — University of Sydney NEW Explains the threat posed by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus establishing in Australia, and why vector range matters for chikungunya spread.

Image: Aedes aegypti taking a blood meal. Photograph by James Gathany, CDC Public Health Image Library (PHIL #7633). Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Further CDC resources — current equivalents for the original NCIDOD/DVBID pages

Chikungunya virus — CDC (main page) FIXED The original CDC Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (NCIDOD/DVBID) directory was restructured in 2014. This is the current entry point, replacing the old cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Chikungunya/index.html.
Chikungunya: areas at risk and geographic distribution — CDC FIXED Current equivalent of the old CH_GlobalMap.html page. Updated 3 September 2026.
Chikungunya: diagnosis and testing — CDC FIXED Current equivalent of the old Arboviral Diagnostic Testing page (CH_Diagnostic.html).

Vaccines NEW

Chikungunya had no licensed vaccine until 2023. The landscape has shifted rapidly since.

VIMKUNYA (chikungunya vaccine, recombinant) — FDA NEW Virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine by Bavarian Nordic. FDA-approved 14 February 2025 for individuals aged ≥12 years. EU approval 28 February 2025. Single intramuscular dose. Currently the primary licensed option in the US and EU.
FDA safety communication: IXCHIQ (chikungunya vaccine, live) — licence suspended 22 August 2025 NEW IXCHIQ (Valneva), the first licensed chikungunya vaccine (approved November 2023), had its US biologics licence suspended after reports of serious adverse events including neurological illness and deaths, predominantly in older recipients. Valneva subsequently withdrew the licence application in January 2026.
More data needed on the FDA’s decision to suspend Ixchiq — The Lancet Infectious Diseases NEW (September 2025)
Chikungunya vaccines in travel medicine: from regulatory approval to real-world challenges — PMC NEW Narrative review of both IXCHIQ and VIMKUNYA: immunogenicity, safety, regulatory status, and implications for travel medicine.

Articles and publications

Dated entries from the original page (2001–2010) have been updated where current equivalents exist. Items that could not be replaced are retained in the archive block below.

Key articles

Re-emergence of chikungunya and o’nyong-nyong viruses: evidence for distinct geographical lineages and distant evolutionary relationships — Powers AM, Brault AC, Tesh RB, Weaver SC. Journal of General Virology (2000), 81, 471–479. FIXED
Vectors of chikungunya virus in Senegal: current data and transmission cycles — Diallo M, Thonnon J, Traore-Lamizana M, Fontenille D. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1999;60(2):281–286. FIXED Original PDF link (iodeweb1.vliz.be) no longer served; replaced with PubMed record (PMID 10072152).
Specific detection of chikungunya virus using a RT-PCR/nested PCR combination — PubMed PMID 11911593. FIXED Original Medscape abstract link replaced with PubMed record.
Alphaviruses — Article by S.K. Lam and K.B. Chua, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Reference and Research (DF/DHF), Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya.
Article in Malaysian Medical Newsletter Cybermed column on Chikungunya virus.

Chikungunya pathogen safety data

Chikungunya virus: Infectious substances pathogen safety data sheet — Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) FIXED Updated 2025. Replaces old phac-aspc.gc.ca/msds-ftss/msds172e-eng.php. Covers characteristics, pathogenicity, drug susceptibility, laboratory safety, and regulatory requirements.

Prevention: antiviral approaches and immunisation

WHO: Chikungunya prevention and control FIXED Replaces the defunct Leicester antiviral and vaccine pages. Covers vector control, personal protection, and the current vaccine landscape.
Chikungunya prevention — CDC FIXED Replaces the defunct Leicester immunisation principles page for the specific context of chikungunya prevention.
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (Pink Book) — CDC NEW Broader reference on vaccine principles; replaces the general immunisation principles content from the defunct Leicester pages.

Epidemiology

Search: Chikungunya virus — PubMed FIXED
Search: Chikungunya arthralgia — PubMed NEW
Search: Chikungunya vaccine — PubMed NEW
The next influenza pandemic: lessons from Hong Kong — Emerging Infectious Diseases, 1999 (background on pandemic preparedness)

Restored articles — working links

Chikungunya fever epidemic in Réunion Island — WHO Disease Outbreak News, 2025 FIXED The original 2006 documentation site (lionel.suz.free.fr) is gone. DON567 covers the 2025 Réunion epidemic: 54,550 confirmed cases and 43 deaths, epidemic declared over 24 June 2025.
Prevention and Treatment of Virus Diseases: Antiviral Vaccines — Leicester University FIXED Original server gone; Wayback Machine snapshot (October 2012). Historical teaching resource; current vaccine guidance at WHO and CDC prevention pages above.
Prevention and Treatment of Virus Diseases: Antiviral Drugs — Leicester University FIXED Original server gone; Wayback Machine snapshot (October 2012). No licensed antiviral exists for chikungunya; management remains supportive.
Globalization, International Law, and Emerging Infectious Diseases — Fidler. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 2, No. 2, April–June 1996. FIXED Legacy cdc.gov/ncidod URL dead; restored at permanent EID address.
Resurgent Vector-Borne Diseases as a Global Health Problem — Gubler. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 4, No. 3, 1998. FIXED Legacy cdc.gov/ncidod URL dead; restored at permanent EID address.
Emerging Viral Diseases of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific — Mackenzie et al. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 7, No. 3 Supplement, June 2001. FIXED Legacy cdc.gov/ncidod URL dead; restored at permanent EID address.
Preventing Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Strategy for the 21st Century — CDC/MMWR, 1998. FIXED Legacy cdc.gov/ncidod/emergplan/ URL dead; restored at permanent MMWR address (Recommendations and Reports, Vol. 47, RR-15).

Legacy articles (no current equivalent)

Chikungunya fever: essential data (cbwinfo.com) ARCHIVE Domain uncertain. PHAC pathogen safety data sheet (above) is the closest current source.
Principles of Immunisation — Leicester University (www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/MBChB/9b.html) ARCHIVE Server gone, no Wayback snapshot available. Replaced by CDC Pink Book above.
Emerging and re-emerging viruses — an essay (mcb.uct.ac.za) ARCHIVE UCT Molecular and Cell Biology server status uncertain.
Virtual Hospital — Immunizations and Chemoprophylaxis for Travel-Related Diseases (vh.org) ARCHIVE Virtual Hospital (University of Iowa) retired 2006. Travel vaccination guidance at CDC Travelers’ Health. Wayback Machine.

PubMed searches

Source: NLM PubMed. Click “Similar articles” on any abstract for further results.

Chikungunya virus FIXED
Chikungunya alphavirus NEW
Chikungunya arthralgia NEW
Chikungunya vaccine NEW
Chikungunya — NCBI Global Search FIXED The original Entrez query interface (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi) has been retired. The NCBI Global Search covers all NCBI databases — PubMed, nucleotide sequences, protein, genome, and more — from a single entry point.

Communicable disease surveillance and other resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Emerging Infectious Diseases — peer-reviewed journal
CDC MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases — CDC FIXED Replaces the old cdc.gov/ncidod/id_links.htm URL; NCEZID is the current organisational home for emerging infectious diseases resource links.
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) — Taxonomy; Nucleotide; Structure FIXED
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (Pink Book) — CDC
Infectious Diseases in Children — Healio FIXED The original idinchildren.com domain is gone; the publication moved to Healio (SLACK Incorporated). Current issues, clinical news, and CME content for paediatric infectious disease.