Good Lifestyle

Walking mosquitoes , you will not find me who leave the house without spraying insects. (I swear that a giant "cock me" panel follows me wherever I go.) Mosquito bites are uncomfortable, super itchy and simply ugly. This is also why I always wear anti-ICTR cream, because I have no restraint. That said, there is a mega mosquito in freedom that we must all be on the lookout for this summer.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn against the deadly mosquito virus that causes mosquitoes, which wins the prevalence in South Asia and Europe, and now affects American travelers. Here is everything we know.

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What is the chikungunya virus?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Chikungunya virus is transmitted to humans by the bites of the infected woman AEDES AEGYPTI And Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes, also known as tiger mosquitoes. This species is also linked to the Zika virus.

If you live in tropical regions with warm temperatures and high humidity, you know that mosquitoes are the most active in the hours that followed the sunset. However, Tiger mosquitoes tend to attack "mainly during the hours of clarity," said WHO.

Although rarely fatal, the chikungunya virus can cause a "sudden start" of symptoms. These generally appear within four to eight days after the cock and can linger up to 12 days - although, in most cases, light symptoms calm the third day. Chikungunya is known to cause "debilitating" joint pain that can last weeks or months.

"The name" chikungunya "derives from a word in the Kimakonde language in southern Tanzania, which means" which leans and describes the leaning appearance of people infected with severe joint pain (arthralgia) ", explains the one.

Other common symptoms of the Chikungunya virus include:

• Fever
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Rash

In healthy people, full recovery is expected. However, the elderly and pregnant or immunocompromised people are more at risk. In more advanced cases, hospitalization may be necessary because the virus can cause:

• Eye, heart and neurological complications
• Damage to the organ
• Death

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Where does the chikungunya virus spread?

Chikungunya does not spread locally in the United States, but there have been passenger incidents bringing the virus to the country. Until now in 2025, the CDC has reported 45 cases associated with travel from Chikungunya. This refers to people infected with chikungunya in another country, before visiting / returning to the United States.

As Best life previously reported: “It is not endemic to the United States, mainly reported in travelers Returning from affected areas in Asia, Africa or the Indian Ocean, according to the CDC. However, at the end of 2013, the local transmission of the virus (which means that mosquitoes in the region were infected and distributing the virus to people) was reported in the Caribbean countries and territories. The following year, the virus was reported in American travelers returning from these affected areas in the Americas, with a local transmission then identified in Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas and the American Virgin Islands. »»

But now the cases of chikungunya are increasing around the world.

"Chikungunya is not a disease that is widely known, but it has been detected and transmitted in 119 countries worldwide, putting 5.6 billion people in danger," said a doctor Diana Rojas Alvarez , PHD, said at a recent press conference, as indicated by Scientific alert .

The virus affected landing in Madagascar, Somalia and Kenya, the epidemic transmission also occurring in South Asia. "It is estimated that a third of the reunion population has already been infected," said Rojas Alvarez.

An epidemic of Chikungunya was also confirmed in the islands of the Indian Ocean, which feeds local transmission in Europe, in particular in France and perhaps Italy.

Rojas Alvarez said: "These transmission models" have high -alert medical experts.

"Because these transmission models were observed in the epidemic from 2004, which calls for urgent action to prevent the story from repeating itself," she said.

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Is there a vaccine for the chikungunya virus?

The IXCHIQ vaccine (Made by Valneva) is currently available for adults 18 and over. This is a "live attenuation vaccine", which means that it "uses a weakened form of the chikungunya virus to cause an immune response to help prevent disease," said CDC. He was under license by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2023.

"According to a press release From Valneva, single dose shooting could also be taken into account for those who go to an area where there are evidence of transmission (not a complete epidemic) in the past five years. This includes travelers over 65 with underlying conditions that have a moderate risk of exposure to mosquitoes, and those who travel for more than six months. It is also recommended for laboratory workers who could be exhibited in Chikungunya, " Best life explained previously.