Chikungunya: Causes and How It Spreads

Primary cause

Chikungunya is caused by a virus that can be found in many parts of the world, including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The virus belongs to a group of viruses called alphaviruses. Other alphaviruses causing a similar disease include Mayaro virus and Ross River virus.

How it spreads

• People can become infected with chikungunya virus when mosquitoes feed on another infected person and then bite them.
  • People infected with chikungunya virus have high enough levels of virus in their blood (viremia) during the first few days of illness to transmit the virus to mosquitoes.
  • Prevent getting infected with chikungunya virus by preventing mosquito bites and getting vaccinated before traveling, if vaccination is recommended for you.
• Because of the high level of virus in blood, spread can occur through:
  • Blood transfusion
  • Handling infected blood in the laboratory
  • Drawing blood from an infected patient
• The virus is not spread from person-to-person and is not spread through coughing, sneezing, or touching.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

• Rarely the infection can be spread from a pregnant person to their unborn baby, mostly during the second trimester.
• If the pregnant person is infected around the time of delivery, the baby can be infected at birth (i.e., intrapartum transmission), often resulting in severe disease in the baby.
• Chikungunya virus has not been found in breast milk, and there have been no reports to date of infants being infected through breastfeeding.
  • Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding and have chikungunya or if you are in an area where the virus is circulating.