chikungunya

chik·un·gun·ya | \ ˌchi-kən-ˈgu̇n-yə

How to pronounce chikungunya (audio)

, 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 The disease is spread through the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same insect that also spreads the chikungunya and Zika viruses. — USA TODAY, "Rare black rhino born, dengue fever, ‘Santa Lady,’ disputed Lincoln hat: News from around our 50 states," 26 Dec. 2019 Over the past five decades mosquito populations in parts of the U.S. have skyrocketed by a factor of 10—a situation with worrying implications for the spread of diseases such as West Nile virus, dengue and chikungunya. — Melinda Wenner Moyer, Scientific American, "Low-Income Baltimore Blocks Host Bigger, More Dangerous Mosquitoes," 21 Dec. 2019 The bacterium Wolbachia pipientis blocks the insects’ ability to spread fearsome viruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. — Kelly Servick, Science | AAAS, "Mosquitoes armed with bacteria beat back dengue virus," 22 Nov. 2019 And preliminary results suggest large declines in dengue and a related virus, chikungunya, in a few neighborhoods in Brazil near Rio de Janeiro. — Washington Post, "Bacteria-infected mosquitoes take bite out of deadly dengue," 21 Nov. 2019 And preliminary results suggest large declines in dengue and a related virus, chikungunya, in a few neighborhoods in Brazil near Rio de Janeiro. — NBC News, "Bacteria-infected mosquitoes take bite out of deadly dengue," 21 Nov. 2019 But there’s no vaccine for malaria, chikungunya, or the human botfly. — Nell Zink, Harper's magazine, "The Bird Angle," 28 Oct. 2019 No new cases of chikungunya fever were reported, and no local cases have been reported to date. — Richard Tribou, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida mosquito watch shows more cases of West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis," 21 Aug. 2018 With more trade and travel, scientists worry that diseases not previously seen in the U.S. like Rift Valley fever and chikungunya could spread into the U.S. for the first time. — Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, "Summertime means disease-carrying insects. Here's what you should know.," 29 July 2019

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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Last Updated

4 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Chikungunya.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chikungunya. Accessed 20 January 2020.

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