Symptoms of Chikungunya

For Everyone

Key points

  • Chikungunya virus infection can cause an illness with fever and joint pain.
  • Most people infected with the virus develop symptoms.
  • If you think you or a family member might have chikungunya, talk to your healthcare provider.
Photo of a person in pain and holding their side while lying in bed.

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
  • Foint pain

Other symptoms can include:

  • Headache
  • Muscle pain
  • Joint swelling
  • Rash

Treatment

No medicines are available to treat chikungunya. Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications may relieve some symptoms.

Outcomes and complications

Most patients feel better within a week. However, joint pain can be severe and disabling and might persist for months. Death from chikungunya is rare.

For Health Care Providers Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Chikungunya Virus Disease

Risk factors

People at risk for more severe illness include:

  • Newborns infected around the time of birth
  • Older adults (65 years and older)
  • People with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease

Testing and 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 can order tests to look for chikungunya or other similar viruses like dengue and Zika.
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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)