Symptoms of chikungunya, a disease caused by mosquito bites

Mosquitoes not only leave bite marks that interfere with appearance, but also carry the risk of infectious diseases. Well, one of the infectious diseases transmitted from mosquito bites is chikungunya. Maybe you have heard of this disease, but there are still many people who do not recognize the signs and symptoms. This article will thoroughly discuss what the symptoms of chikungunya are, and when to look out for this disease.

Common symptoms of chikungunya

Chikungunya is an infectious disease with the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) which is transmitted through mosquito bites Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Yes, this disease is transmitted by the same mosquitoes that cause dengue fever.

If it's a mosquito Aedes sucking blood from someone who has been infected with the virus before, the mosquito can transmit the virus to other humans.

This disease is more common in countries with warm climates, such as Asia and Africa. In Indonesia, the number of chikungunya cases is estimated to have skyrocketed to 52,000 in 2010.

Although currently it has decreased, this disease still needs to be watched out for because the symptoms are similar to those of an infectious disease caused by mosquito bites. Aedes others, such as dengue fever (DHF) and Zika. It is not surprising that this disease is sometimes difficult to diagnose and distinguish from the symptoms of other diseases.

As many as 75-97% of chikungunya cases show symptoms, so the presence of the disease can generally be detected immediately. Here are some of the most common characteristics of chikungunya:

1. Fever

Like most infectious diseases, the appearance of chikungunya is usually characterized by a high fever. Chikungunya fever can reach above 38.9 degrees Celsius. Generally, chikungunya fever will go down after 1 week.

According to articles from Indonesia International Institute for Life SciencesIt takes 2-12 days from the time the human body is exposed to the chikungunya virus to show symptoms of fever for the first time. This period is called the incubation period.

2. Joint and muscle pain

Another most characteristic symptom of chikungunya is severe pain in the joints and muscles. Therefore, many also call the symptoms of this disease the term "bone flu".

This pain can be experienced in several parts of the body, such as:

• Wrist
• Elbow
• Fingers
• Knee
• Ankle

Joint and muscle pain can last up to several days, even months or years even though other symptoms have improved.

In some cases, joint and muscle pain can also cause swelling in areas of the body that have the virus, as well as difficulty moving parts of the body or walking.

3. Red eyes

Symptoms of red eye have also been found in some cases of chikungunya. The chikungunya virus is known to cause various eye problems, including:

• Conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva)
• Retinitis (inflammation of the retina)
• Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve of the eye)

This inflammation causes the eyes to look redder than usual. Sometimes, eye problems are also accompanied by conditions that are more sensitive to light, aka photophobia. Some chikungunya patients also report pain at the back of the eye.

4. Other symptoms of chikungunya

Apart from the above symptoms, chikungunya is also sometimes characterized by other characteristics, such as:

• Sore throat
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Skin rash, especially on the face and neck
• Back pain
• Swollen lymph nodes

When to see a doctor?

If you experience fever and very severe joint pain, you should immediately consult a doctor, especially if you live or have just traveled from an area with a high case of chikungunya.

Chikungunya is indeed a disease that can be cured with simple treatment and rarely causes fatal complications. However, the symptoms can progress to worsen and potentially lead to chronic, lingering joint problems.

Not everyone is at risk of developing an increasingly severe disease. The following are people who are at a higher risk of developing complications of chikungunya:

• Seniors over 65 years
• Babies and children
• People with certain comorbid conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease

Therefore, if you or the people around you fall into the risk groups above and experience unusual symptoms, consult a doctor immediately.

How do doctors diagnose chikungunya?

The doctor will ask about your symptoms, medical history, and whether you have just returned from a place with a high case of chikungunya.

If you have symptoms such as a sudden onset of fever accompanied by severe joint and muscle pain, your doctor will suspect that you have the chikungunya virus. However, because the symptoms are similar to those of other infectious diseases, doctors need to do additional medical tests to be sure.

Here are the medical tests you need to undergo to find out if you have chikungunya:

• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA)
  This test aims to measure the antibodies, antigens, proteins, and glycoproteins in your blood. With this test, doctors can find out if the body's antibodies are formed if the body is infected with the chikungunya virus.

• Reverse transcriptase – polymerase chain reaction (RT – PCR)
  If the ELISA test checks for body antibodies, RT-PCR is used to identify the type of virus infecting the patient's body.

Until now, there is no known drug that can kill the chikungunya virus in the human body. The current treatment for chikungunya is only intended to relieve the symptoms of the disease.

In order to avoid the dangers of this disease, you can take chikungunya prevention by following these steps:

• Using mosquito repellent containing DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide)
• Wear closed clothes such as trousers and long sleeves
• Avoid going to areas with outbreaks of chikungunya
• Reduce outdoor activities in the afternoon and evening when mosquitoes are actively roaming
• Installing a mosquito net in a room or bed
• Clean the water reservoir at home