chikungunya

noun

chik·​un·​gun·​ya ˌchi-kən-ˈgu̇n-yə 

ˌchi-ku̇ŋ-

: a febrile disease that resembles dengue, occurs especially in parts of Africa, India, and southeastern Asia, and is caused by a togavirus (Alphavirus chikungunya) 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

Huang said Dallas is also enhancing its mosquito surveillance by monitoring not only for West Nile virus, which is endemic in the region, but also diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika. —Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 4 June 2026

There are more than 3,500 different species of mosquito, but just Aedes aegypti transmits most cases of dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. —Bay City News, Mercury News, 4 June 2026

Mosquitoes can learn The mosquito species studied was the yellow fever mosquito, a species that spreads dengue fever, Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya, which infect tens of millions of people each year. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 June 2026

The strategy targets Aedes aegypti, a mosquito species responsible for transmitting the majority of dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya cases worldwide. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Kimakonde (Bantu language of the Makonde), alleged to mean "that which bends up"

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

chikungunya

noun

chik·​un·​gun·​ya ˌchik-ən-ˈgu̇n-yə 

ˌchik-u̇ŋ-

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

called also chikungunya fever