On February 4, an imported case of Chikungunya fever was recorded in Russia, in a woman who had returned to Moscow after spending a holiday in the Seychelles.
The registration of the infection in Russia raises questions about the seriousness of this disease, and whether it could take root within the country and pose a risk of an epidemic.
The first symptoms of the disease usually appear after an incubation period of 4 to 8 days. Those infected experience fever, nausea, rash, swelling, and severe muscle and joint pain. The joint pain can be so intense that it forces the patient to stop moving and assume a hunched position.
Joint pain is one of the most prominent signs of the disease, as the infection is often mild and unnoticeable in the absence of this symptom.
Virologist Anatoly Alshtein, a professor at the Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, explained that chikungunya fever usually subsides within one to two weeks, but joint pain can persist for months in some patients and may develop into chronic arthritis. He added that those who recover acquire immunity against the virus.
In most cases, the illness is relatively mild and results in a full recovery. However, severe cases may require hospitalization. Rare deaths have been reported among people with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, infants, and diabetics.
Individual cases of complications affecting the eye, heart, blood vessels, and nervous system have also been observed in some patients.
According to Gennady Onishchenko, an epidemiologist and academician at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted by insect vectors, most notably Aedes mosquitoes.
According to the World Health Organization, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are the primary vectors of the disease and are also responsible for transmitting dengue and Zika viruses. These mosquitoes are mainly active during daylight hours; albopictus prefers outdoor areas, while aedes aegypti is found both indoors and outdoors.
Most infections are currently recorded in areas where this type of mosquito is found, including Asian countries such as China and India, Africa, South America, as well as parts of the United States and southern Europe.
There are no specific medications to treat chikungunya fever. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms with appropriate fever reducers and pain relievers, along with some antiviral medications.
According to the World Health Organization, two vaccines against the disease have been developed and are being used in some countries, but they are not yet available for widespread use and have not been included in general medical practice.
