chikungunya

noun

chik·un·gun·ya | \ ˌchi-kən-ˈgu̇n-yə

, ˌchi-ku̇ŋ-\

Definition of chikungunya

: a febrile disease that resembles dengue, occurs especially in parts of Africa, India, and southeastern Asia, and is caused by a togavirus (species Chikungunya virus of the genus Alphavirus) transmitted especially by aedes mosquitoes Chikungunya is rarely fatal but can cause severe fevers, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and muscle and joint pains.— Martin Enserink

Examples of chikungunya in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dengue, Zika and chikungunya aren't unusual in South Florida, but a new study suggests climate change and an increase in international travel could revive long dormant threats. — Alex Harris, miamiherald, "Mosquito season could get longer and more hazardous to your health — especially in Miami | Miami Herald," 1 May 2018 Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas more than tripled in the US," 1 May 2018 In tropical regions, people instead contend with malaria, yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. — Heath Macmillan, Smithsonian, "Why Some Summers Are So Appealing For Mosquitoes," 22 June 2018 Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. — Lena H. Sun, chicagotribune.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas more than tripled in the U.S.," 2 May 2018 Heavy rains and flooding in Kenya compounded a cholera outbreak and a chikungunya epidemic and increased the risk of large-scale spread of the diseases, the United Nations said. — Paul Richardson, Bloomberg.com, "Kenyan Rains Raise Risk of Large-Scale Disease Outbreak, UN Says," 3 May 2018 Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. — Lena H. Sun, chicagotribune.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas more than tripled in the U.S.," 2 May 2018 Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and chikungunya—a growing list of diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick, or flea—have confronted the U.S. in recent years, making a lot of people sick. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Tick, mosquito and flea infections in US more than triple since 2004, CDC warns," 2 May 2018 Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have more than tripled," 1 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chikungunya.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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chikungunya

noun

chik·un·gun·ya | \ ˌchik-ən-ˈgu̇n-yə, ˌchik-u̇ŋ-

Medical Definition of chikungunya

: a febrile disease that resembles dengue, occurs especially in parts of Africa, India, and southeastern Asia, and is caused by a togavirus of the genus Alphavirus (species Chikungunya virus) transmitted by mosquitoes especially of the genus Aedes

— called also chikungunya fever