Chikungunya in India: A review of current research

The Urban Health Resource Center (URHC) attributes poor sanitation and man-made water receptacles to the prevalence of malaria, and the re-emergence of chikungunya in India (UHRC, 2009). India's National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) predicts that epidemics of water or vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya are likely to worsen due to climactic changes (NIDM, 2007). Chikungunya, meaning, “bent walker,” is an emerging public health problem in urban India and is caused by an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito (Nero, 2008). The purpose of the study was to explore the current research on the epidemiology of chikungunya which has re-emerged in India after a 30 year gap. The paper describes trends in prevalence, prevention education and treatment development of the disease in India. The most current research literature on the subject was analyzed to catalog the biologic, geographic and social aspects of the disease including 1) the changing structure of the virus, 2) symptomology and treatment protocol, 3) the effect of climate change, 4) population density, and 5) impact of travel patterns on the incidence and prevalence of chikungunya in India.