Chikungunya is a viral infection transferred to humans by infected ades mosquitos.These mosquitos usually bite during day time. Also these mosquitos can’t fly high so they will usually bite below waist.

Signs and symptoms of Chikungunya usually appear within 2 – 3 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Patients infected with Chikungunya may present with following signs and symptoms.
* Fever – fever in Chikungunya may be high grade or low grade and may or may not be associated with chills.
* Headache
* Rash – Rash may be present on face and body. Some times this Rash can be extremely itchy.
* Joint pain and swelling – Joint pains of Chikungunya are extremely debilitating.
* Back pain – In the early days of infection few people may have severe back pain.

However, the good news is that Chikungunya is a self limiting disease which means symptoms resolve within 6 weeks to 3 months. Only about 30 % of patients with Chikungunya may have long term disease.

Prevention is by control of mosquitos. This may be achieved by reducing access of mosquitos to stored water, as ades mosquitos breed in clean stored water. So during rainy season avoid storing water in buckets in bathrooms and if you need to store it make sure it is covered properly.