Published: 03:14 AM, 05 October 2025
Chikungunya Is an Emerging Disease in Dhaka City!
SMM Musabbir Uddin
Chikungunya is a mosquito borne viral disease that causes fever and severe joint pain. It is caused by a RNA virus that belongs to the alpha virus genus of the Togaviridae family. The name chikungunya derives from a word in the Kimakonde language of Southern Tanzania, meaning “that which bends up.” & describe contorted posture of infected people with severe joint pain. Chikungunya virus was first discovered in the United Republic of Tanzania and subsequently in other countries in Africa and Asia. Urban outbreak was first detected in Thailand in 1967 and in India in 1970s. In 2004, there was an outbreak of chikungunya and widespread to the world. Chikungunya is now identified by more than 110 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Americas.
Transmission
Chikungunya is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species, which are most active during the daytime. An uninfected mosquito becomes infected by feeding on a person who has the virus in their blood. The virus then replicates inside the mosquito, eventually reaching its salivary glands, allowing it to transmit the virus to a new person with its subsequent bite. This cycle perpetuates the disease, with infected people capable of infecting more mosquitoes.
Signs & Symptoms
Chikungunya symptoms started 3-7 days after an infected mosquito bites. Common sign & symptoms are:
· Sudden fever: Usually high fever that appear suddenly.
· Severe joint pain: This is the hall mark symptoms, often intense & affecting the smaller joint.
· Headache
· Muscle pain: We can also see in Dengue fever.
· Joint swelling: This is frequent symptoms
· Skin rash
· Fatigue
· Nausea and Vomiting
· If it is untreated, it will affect the other vital organs for example: Heart, Lungs, and Liver.
Diagnosis
Chikungunya viruses diagnosed by go through some test. Those are:
1) Complete Blood Count: This is the most basic and common test in medical field. This test may be determining the diagnosis but not accurately. In Chikungunya, we can see low white blood cell count (Leukopenia) and High ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate).
2) Polymerase Chain Reaction: It can detect the RNA material of the chikungunya virus.
3) IgM antibodies: This is the confirmatory diagnosis for chikungunya virus. It is detected after the 7 days of illness.
Sometimes, experienced doctor can diagnose by clinical sign and symptoms.
Threats in Dhaka City
Dhaka City is the growing capital city in Bangladesh. People from village and other cities migrate to the Dhaka to change the condition of his livelihood. So, Dhaka is the most populated city. Dhaka city climate is warm and humid for few decades. These kinds of condition are favorable to the Aedes mosquito, which spread the dengue and chikungunya.
Disease outbreak is usually aided by overcrowded slums, informal housing, malfunctioning waste and sewage systems. High society homes and cooperate offices with air conditioned & rooftop gardens are the perfect breeding places for the aedes mosquito.
Bangladesh vector control systems are still weak and insufficient. Sometimes, pesticide control was short enough for logistics support or problems with overcrowded area not obey the rules. That’s why, mosquito breeding those places and causes epidemic outbreak. Moreover, health care sector is the most responsible for it. The lack of diagnosis support is more threatening to our country. Rapid diagnostic kits are absent from the public and private hospitals. So, many cases are frequently misdiagnosed with viral fever or dengue. It is high level threat for the epidemic of chikungunya in Dhaka. IEDCR (Institute of Epidemiology, Disease, Control and Research) reported 337 suspected cases, with 153 confirmed cases in between 1st January to 28th May 2025.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for chikungunya just like dengue. We have to relief the symptoms.
Rest: Get plenty of rest to help your body recover.
Fluids: Drink lots of fluids like water, coconut water, soups, and fruit juices to prevent dehydration.
Pain & Fever: Take acetaminophen (Tylenol) to manage fever and pain.
Avoid certain medications: Do not take aspirin or NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) until a healthcare provider rules out dengue.
Mosquito protection: Use a mosquito net and insect repellent to avoid mosquito bites and prevent spreading the virus.
Ongoing pain: If you have long-term joint pain, consult a healthcare professional, as they may recommend different treatments, such as physiotherapy or certain arthritis medications.
Prevention
We have to follow some measure so that we can decrease the possibility to affect from chikungunya.
1) Integrated vector control: Rather than relying solely on seasonal fogging, invest in year-round mosquito control initiatives. Utilize scientific entomological surveillance to monitor patterns of resistance and vector density
2) Urban reform: Waste management, drainage repair, and the control of impromptu urban development must be given top priority by municipalities. These are public health priorities rather than merely infrastructure problems
3) Improved diagnostics: Provide chikungunya testing kits to primary health facilities and instruct medical staff in data reporting and case identification
4) Public awareness: To inform people about prevention, symptoms, and early treatment, start long-term, multilingual campaigns utilizing TV, radio, social media, and community health workers
5) Climate adaptation in health policy: Acknowledge the climate sensitivity of vector-borne illnesses. To predict and stop outbreaks, environmental data must be incorporated into future public health planning.
In conclusion I want to say that, if we didn’t pay attention about the threats of Chikungunya, Bangladesh will engulf of this disease and causes pandemic of our country. It will cripple our health system totally just like Africa. You should stay safe and prevent the chikungunya from your family.
SMM Musabbir Uddin is a
student of Universal
Medical College, Dhaka.
Transmission
Chikungunya is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species, which are most active during the daytime. An uninfected mosquito becomes infected by feeding on a person who has the virus in their blood. The virus then replicates inside the mosquito, eventually reaching its salivary glands, allowing it to transmit the virus to a new person with its subsequent bite. This cycle perpetuates the disease, with infected people capable of infecting more mosquitoes.
Signs & Symptoms
Chikungunya symptoms started 3-7 days after an infected mosquito bites. Common sign & symptoms are:
· Sudden fever: Usually high fever that appear suddenly.
· Severe joint pain: This is the hall mark symptoms, often intense & affecting the smaller joint.
· Headache
· Muscle pain: We can also see in Dengue fever.
· Joint swelling: This is frequent symptoms
· Skin rash
· Fatigue
· Nausea and Vomiting
· If it is untreated, it will affect the other vital organs for example: Heart, Lungs, and Liver.
Diagnosis
Chikungunya viruses diagnosed by go through some test. Those are:
1) Complete Blood Count: This is the most basic and common test in medical field. This test may be determining the diagnosis but not accurately. In Chikungunya, we can see low white blood cell count (Leukopenia) and High ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate).
2) Polymerase Chain Reaction: It can detect the RNA material of the chikungunya virus.
3) IgM antibodies: This is the confirmatory diagnosis for chikungunya virus. It is detected after the 7 days of illness.
Sometimes, experienced doctor can diagnose by clinical sign and symptoms.
Threats in Dhaka City
Dhaka City is the growing capital city in Bangladesh. People from village and other cities migrate to the Dhaka to change the condition of his livelihood. So, Dhaka is the most populated city. Dhaka city climate is warm and humid for few decades. These kinds of condition are favorable to the Aedes mosquito, which spread the dengue and chikungunya.
Disease outbreak is usually aided by overcrowded slums, informal housing, malfunctioning waste and sewage systems. High society homes and cooperate offices with air conditioned & rooftop gardens are the perfect breeding places for the aedes mosquito.
Bangladesh vector control systems are still weak and insufficient. Sometimes, pesticide control was short enough for logistics support or problems with overcrowded area not obey the rules. That’s why, mosquito breeding those places and causes epidemic outbreak. Moreover, health care sector is the most responsible for it. The lack of diagnosis support is more threatening to our country. Rapid diagnostic kits are absent from the public and private hospitals. So, many cases are frequently misdiagnosed with viral fever or dengue. It is high level threat for the epidemic of chikungunya in Dhaka. IEDCR (Institute of Epidemiology, Disease, Control and Research) reported 337 suspected cases, with 153 confirmed cases in between 1st January to 28th May 2025.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for chikungunya just like dengue. We have to relief the symptoms.
Rest: Get plenty of rest to help your body recover.
Fluids: Drink lots of fluids like water, coconut water, soups, and fruit juices to prevent dehydration.
Pain & Fever: Take acetaminophen (Tylenol) to manage fever and pain.
Avoid certain medications: Do not take aspirin or NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) until a healthcare provider rules out dengue.
Mosquito protection: Use a mosquito net and insect repellent to avoid mosquito bites and prevent spreading the virus.
Ongoing pain: If you have long-term joint pain, consult a healthcare professional, as they may recommend different treatments, such as physiotherapy or certain arthritis medications.
Prevention
We have to follow some measure so that we can decrease the possibility to affect from chikungunya.
1) Integrated vector control: Rather than relying solely on seasonal fogging, invest in year-round mosquito control initiatives. Utilize scientific entomological surveillance to monitor patterns of resistance and vector density
2) Urban reform: Waste management, drainage repair, and the control of impromptu urban development must be given top priority by municipalities. These are public health priorities rather than merely infrastructure problems
3) Improved diagnostics: Provide chikungunya testing kits to primary health facilities and instruct medical staff in data reporting and case identification
4) Public awareness: To inform people about prevention, symptoms, and early treatment, start long-term, multilingual campaigns utilizing TV, radio, social media, and community health workers
5) Climate adaptation in health policy: Acknowledge the climate sensitivity of vector-borne illnesses. To predict and stop outbreaks, environmental data must be incorporated into future public health planning.
In conclusion I want to say that, if we didn’t pay attention about the threats of Chikungunya, Bangladesh will engulf of this disease and causes pandemic of our country. It will cripple our health system totally just like Africa. You should stay safe and prevent the chikungunya from your family.
SMM Musabbir Uddin is a
student of Universal
Medical College, Dhaka.
