Chikungunya fever in Sri Lanka: what is the danger of the disease and how tourists can protect themselves

Sri Lanka has recorded the largest outbreak of chikungunya fever in the last 20 years, the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka reported. The virus has also spread to Europe. According to BFMTV, 37 cases of fever have been recorded in France since May 1. Since the beginning of 2025, according to Rospotrebnadzor, about 100 thousand cases of chikungunya infection have been detected worldwide. What is the danger of this disease, what are its symptoms and how best to protect yourself — in the Izvestia article.

Chikungunya — the history of the spread of the disease

Cases of infection with this virus were first identified in 1952 in Tanzania, and subsequently the disease spread to countries in Africa and Asia, including India and Thailand. As noted on the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO), to date, fever has been detected in more than 110 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and America.

The very name "Chikungunya" comes from a verb in the Kimakonde language (the language of the Makonde people living in Tanzania and Mozambique — Ed.), meaning "to become twisted."

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"Chikungunya belongs to hemorrhagic fevers of the second group of pathogenicity. The first group of pathogenicity is fatal fevers, from which there is no protection, with a mortality rate of 70 to 90%. <...> Fevers of the second group have a mortality rate of about 1.5–2%, less often about 5%," Stanislav Ionov, professor of the Department of Therapy at the Medical Faculty of the State University of Education, told Izvestia.

Symptoms of chikungunya fever

The virus is spread through the bites of mosquitoes that live in India, other Asian and African countries. The same insects usually carry the dengue and zika viruses. Currently, these vector mosquitoes have also spread to some countries in Europe and North America. A person becomes infected through the bites of infected insects. Subsequently, when an uninfected mosquito sucks in the blood of an infected person, viral particles can be transmitted to the insect. The virus then replicates in the mosquito's body for some time, penetrating into its salivary glands, after which it can be transmitted to a new uninfected host at the next bite.

Symptoms of chikungunya fever range from two to 12 days after a mosquito bite, most often this range is from four to eight days. According to Professor Ionov, the first symptoms of the disease are a high fever (39-40 degrees) and hemorrhagic rashes on the patient's skin. Other symptoms include headache, swelling, fatigue, and nausea.

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"Hemorrhagic rashes also form on internal organs. Blood clots and intravascular coagulation occur, blood clots form, and vital organs such as the kidneys and liver fail. Self-medication for chikungunya is life-threatening. When the first symptoms occur, it is necessary to drink an antipyretic and immediately go to the hospital," the expert noted.

According to WHO, in most cases, patients who have had an infection recover completely, but there are cases of ophthalmological, cardiovascular and neurological complications. The disease is most dangerous for people of the older age group, there is a risk of a severe form of the disease. Newborns infected during childbirth and the elderly with concomitant pathologies can become seriously ill, and chikungunya fever can increase the risk of death.

What to do to avoid getting infected

Chikungunya fever is most widespread during the rainy season in tropical countries of Africa and Asia, as this is the best time for mosquitoes to breed, Dr. Emerole Carl Chukwuemeka, associate professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases with courses in Epidemiology and Phthisiology at the PATRICE LUMUMBA RUDN University, said in a conversation with Izvestia. The outbreak of the disease in Sri Lanka occurred precisely due to the onset of the rainy season.

There is no vaccination against chikungunya, so the main prevention of the spread of the disease is protection from bites. It is recommended to wear clothes that protect the skin from mosquito bites, put mosquito nets on windows, and use insect repellents. Chikungunya-carrying mosquitoes are most active in the morning and evening, unlike malaria-carrying mosquitoes that fly at night, Chukwuemeka emphasized. The expert added that there is no risk of infection spreading in Russia through incoming tourists who could have become infected in Sri Lanka or other countries.

Professor Ionov, in turn, recalled the importance of insurance. "If you are going on a trip to a region endemic to chikungunya and other hemorrhagic fevers, be sure to get medical insurance, otherwise treatment can be very expensive," he advised.

According to WHO, there are several chikungunya vaccines that are in various stages of development, but none of them are licensed yet, so they are not offered on the market. There are also no special antiviral drugs against this vaccine.