Chikungunya

About Chikungunya:

• It is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bites of mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus.
• The word comes from the African Makonde language and means "bent over in pain." 
• Transmission:
  • It is most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes, Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, which can also transmit dengue and Zika viruses.
  • It is not spread from person to person. 
• It was first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952 and has now been identified in nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
• Symptoms:
  • Symptoms usually begin 4 to 8 days after a mosquito bite but can appear anywhere from 2 to 12 days.
  • The most common symptom is an abrupt onset of fever, often accompanied by joint pain. 
  • Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. 
  • Serious complications are uncommon, but atypical severe cases can cause long-term symptoms and even death, especially in older people.
• Treatment:
  • There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for chikungunya virus infections.
  • The goal of treatment for the infection is to relieve symptoms with rest, fluids and drugs.

Q1: What is the National Institute of Virology (NIV)?

ICMR- National Institute of Virology (NIV), is one of the major Institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It was established at Pune, Maharashtra State in 1952 as Virus Research Centre (VRC) under the auspices of the ICMR and the Rockefeller Foundation (RF), USA. It was an outcome of the global programme of the RF for investigating the Arthropod Borne viruses. The RF withdrew its support in 1967 and since then the Institute is entirely funded by the ICMR. It acquired its status of national importance and was renamed as National Institute of Virology (NIV) in 1978.

Source: Chikungunya outbreak in Pune linked to resurgence of '2006 Indian Ocean' strain, warn NIV scientists