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

Mahajan, S¹, Chhabra, Daljeet²and Rashid, S.M.³

Department of Veterinary Microbiology,

College of Veterinary Sciences and A.H, Mhow (M.P.)

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Re-emergence, Threat, Chickungunya, Fever, Zoonosis, Health, Disease, Monkey, Virus.