chikungunya

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Makonde chikungunya (“that which bends up”), apparently referring to the arthritic effects of the disease. See -kunja, a suffix related to bending. Compare Swahili kunja (“to bend, to fold”).

1. A viral fever caused by the Chikungunya virus, an alphavirus spread by mosquito bites.

   “Chikungunya and dengue arboviral diseases are in expansion throughout the world.”

   “The fever of Chikungunya is characterized by a rapid rise in temperature to as high as 40 C, often accompanied by rigors, myalgia, headache, photophobia, retro-orbital pain, sore throat with objective signs of pharyngitis, nausea, and vomiting.”