[Reemergence of Chikungunya virus]

Abstract

Arboviral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes such as Dengue, Chikungunya and West Nile are global health issues of growing magnitude. Their dissemination in new areas is triggered by increased mobility of persons, animal reservoirs and vectors. This article describes virological, epidemiological and clinical aspects of Chikungunya, which causes sporadic cases or epidemics, sometimes massive, such as the one spreading in the Americas since December 2013. Chikungunya should be suspected in all travellers presenting with fever, arthralgia and sometimes a rash returning from an endemic area. In the absence of vaccine, individual protection relies on the prevention of mosquito bites.