Threats and Re-emergence of Chickungunya Fever in Indian Sub-continent

• Main Authors: Mahajan S, Chhabra, Daljeet and Rashid S.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Veterinary World 2009-02-01
• Series: Veterinary World
• Subjects: Re-emergence; Threat; Chickungunya; Fever; Zoonosis; Health; Disease; Monkey; Virus
• Online Access: http://www.scopemed.org/mnstemps/2/2-1271950786.pdf

Zoonoses are among the most frequent and dreaded risk to which mankind is exposed today, human health is inextricably linked to animal health and production. Over the past 6 years, a number of zoonotic and vector borne viral diseases were recorded in South-east Asia and the Western Pacific and there was sudden upsurge in the number of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases in Indian Sub-continent and Chikungunya fever is one of them. The precise reasons for the re-emergence of Chikungunya in the Indian subcontinent as well as the other small countries in the southern Indian Ocean are an enigma. Although, it is well recognized that re-emergence of viral infections are due to a variety of social, environmental, behavioural and biological changes, which of these contributed to the re-emergence of Chikungunya virus would be interesting to unravel. Chikungunya is generally spread through bites of infected mosquitoes; mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a animal infected with CHIK virus. Monkey and possibly other wild animals may serve as reservoirs of infection. [Vet. World 2009; 2(1.000): 40-42]