Chikungunya virus infection for health professionals

Chikungunya virus spreads to humans through infected mosquitoes. It is a nationally notifiable disease. We monitor and report on national case numbers. We publish case definitions and advice to support health professionals and health authorities.

For health professionals For everyone

Disease

  • Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne alphavirus in the family Togaviridae. It is related to Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses.

    Humans and non-human primates, such as monkeys, are the reservoir for chikungunya virus.

  • Symptoms typically include:

    Most people recover from the acute illness within 1 to 2 weeks. In some, the arthralgia can persist for months or years.

    Severe complications are more likely to occur in older people who have other health conditions, and include:

    • neurological involvement – such as seizures and neuropathy
    • myocarditis
    • pericarditis
    • hepatitis
    • acute renal failure
    • ocular involvement – such as uveitis and retinitis
    • respiratory failure.

    Chikungunya rarely causes death.

    Most people who have been infected with chikungunya virus develop lifelong immunity.

    Read more about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of chikungunya virus.

Public health importance

  • Chikungunya is a global health concern, with regular large outbreaks in endemic countries.[1]

    There is no specific treatment for chikungunya infection, which can cause severe long-term complications.

    The disease places a substantial burden on individuals, communities, and health systems, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. 

    Chikungunya virus has not been reported in mosquitoes in Australia. But the mosquito species that transmit the virus are found in:

    • northern and central Queensland and the Torres Strait – Aedes aegypti
    • the Torres Strait – Aedes albopictus.

    This means outbreaks of chikungunya could occur in Australia. 

    Because of the potential impacts of chikungunya, we:

    • work with colleagues in the animal and environmental sectors at the national and state and territory levels to ensure a One Health coordinated approach to monitoring and reporting of chikungunya
    • plan for how to manage outbreaks.

  • Globally, chikungunya virus circulates in more than 100 countries, with many millions of cases reported each year.[1]

    Outbreaks overseas – including in parts of Africa, Asia, Americas, the Western Pacific and Europe – have caused a significant increase in the number of chikungunya infections diagnosed in 2025.

    In Australia, there have been no known locally acquired chikungunya cases. 

    Travel-related infections are reported in Australia each year. They are most common among people who have been in regions where chikungunya is endemic or outbreaks are occurring.

    For the latest information on chikungunya incidence in Australia see the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) data visualisation tool.

Spread of infection

  • Chikungunya virus spreads through the bites of infected mosquitoes – mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. 

    These mosquitoes bite during the day, but are especially active in the few hours after sunrise and before sunset.

    Chikungunya virus does not transmit directly from person to person, but mosquitoes can spread the virus between people.

    Rarely, chikungunya virus can spread:

    • to a fetus or baby by vertical transmission
    • through infected blood, such as
      • during blood transfusion
      • when drawing blood
      • when handling blood in laboratories. 

  • Symptoms usually begin between 3 and 7 days after a bite from an infected mosquito, but can range from 1 to 12 days.

  • A person with chikungunya can transmit the virus to mosquitoes that bite them for up to 7 days after the onset of symptoms.

Priority populations

Prevention

  • There is no vaccine against chikungunya available in Australia.

  • The best protection against chikungunya is to prevent mosquito bites.

    The mosquitoes that spread chikungunya virus bite during the day. They are most active at dawn and dusk.

    People who become unwell with a high fever during or soon after travel to a region where chikungunya is circulating should seek medical advice as soon as they can.

Diagnosis and clinical management

  • Chikungunya virus infection is usually diagnosed through laboratory testing of a blood sample in a person with clinically compatible illness to detect:

    • chikungunya virus nucleic acid
    • antibodies against chikungunya virus.

    If chikungunya virus infection is part of a differential diagnosis, it’s important to specifically request chikungunya testing when referring patients to pathologists.

    Read more about testing and diagnosis of chikungunya.

  • There is no specific treatment for chikungunya. Clinical management consists of supportive care.

    Anti-inflammatory medicines – such as aspirin or ibuprofen – must be avoided until dengue fever has been ruled out, to reduce the risk of bleeding.

    Read more about the treatment of chikungunya.

Notification and reporting

Public health response

  • Public health units urgently investigate cases of chikungunya, with a focus on determining the likely source of the infection. 

    Chikungunya cases in Australia without a relevant overseas travel history require further investigation and might require a public health response.

    The person affected should be provided with information about:

  • Public health authorities might follow up people who were exposed to the same source as a confirmed chikungunya case. This can include people who:

    • have travelled together
    • have shared the same environment
    • have shared the same mosquito exposures
    • live in the same household.

    Public health authorities provide people who might have been exposed with information about:

    • how chikungunya virus spreads
    • the signs and symptoms of chikungunya
    • the importance of preventing mosquito bites to prevent further spread.  

  • Any locally acquired chikungunya case is considered an outbreak.

    How public health agencies respond to chikungunya cases and outbreaks depends on: 

    • state or territory legislation
    • local reporting requirements
    • the presence of competent vectors
    • the nature of the cases or outbreak
    • available resources. 

    Control measures used during outbreaks may include: 

    • mosquito and larval control measures
    • health education
    • promotion of mosquito bite prevention.

  • A case of chikungunya who has travelled to northern Queensland or the Torres Strait, where Aedes mosquitoes are present, may require extra public health actions.

Resources

References

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