Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Treatment

Symptoms

Most people infected with chikungunya virus will develop some symptoms. Symptoms usually begin 3–7 days after an infected mosquito bites you.

  • The most common symptoms are fever and joint pain.
    • Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.
  • People at risk for more severe disease include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults (≥65 years), and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.
  • Most patients feel better within a week. However, joint pain can be severe and disabling and may persist for months.
  • Death from chikungunya is rare.

Diagnosis

See your healthcare provider if you have visited an area where chikungunya virus is found and have symptoms described above.

  • Tell your healthcare provider when and where you traveled.
  • Your healthcare provider might order blood tests to look for chikungunya or other similar viruses like dengue and Zika.

To learn more about testing, visit our Healthcare Providers page.

Treatment

  • There is currently no medicine to treat chikungunya.
  • Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications may relieve some symptoms.
    • Take medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or paracetamol to reduce fever and pain.
    • Do not take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) until dengue can be ruled out to reduce the risk of bleeding.
  • If you have chikungunya, prevent mosquito bites for the first week of your illness.
    • During the first week of illness, chikungunya virus can be found in the blood. The virus can be passed from an infected person to a mosquito through mosquito bites.
    • An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people.

To learn more about treatment, visit our Healthcare Providers page.