Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected MOSQUITOES. It is caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV).A CHIKV infection causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, joint swelling, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.Joint pain associated with chikungunya is often debilitating, and can vary in duration.There is currently no vaccine or specific drug against the virus. The treatment is focused on RELIEVING the disease symptoms.The disease mostly occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. However a major outbreak in 2015 affected several countries of the Region of the Americas, and sporadic outbreaks are SEEN elsewhere.The disease shares some clinical SIGNS with dengue and Zika, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where they are common.Severe cases and deaths from chikungunya are very rare and are almost ALWAYS related to other existing health problems.Due to the challenges in accurate diagnosis for chikungunya, the is no real estimate for the number of people affected by the disease globally on an annual basis.The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya.