A Detailed Report: Chikungunya and Dengue Fever Diseases Analysis

This report provides a comparative analysis of Chikungunya and Dengue fever, two mosquito-borne viral diseases prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. The report details the modes of transmission, primarily through Aedes mosquitoes, and highlights the similarities in symptoms such as f...Read More

Running head: CHIKUNGUNYA AND DENGUE FEVER
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Chikungunya and Dengue fever
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Chikungunya and Dengue fever
Dengue fever is mosquito-borne disease caused by the dengue virus. This viruses are
transmitted by mosquitoes when they bite an individual. The disease occurs all over the world
mostly in tropical and subtropical regions where there is a high tendency of mosquito bites
(Bhatt, et al., 2013). People who have been infected with the disease recover within one week if
they are treated while those who are not treated can develop life threatening symptoms that can
lead to fatal problems like the dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome which is far
more lethal than the early stages of the disease. On the other hand, chikungunya disease is caused
by the chikungunya virus which is spred through mosquito bites of the family Aedes albopictus
and Aedes aegypti.
There is a close similarity between the two diseases since they are transmitted in the same
form. All the two disease are virus borne and transmitted by mosquitos of the same class. These
mosquito types are common in subtropical regions where there is a lot of water. Since the
diseases are caused by the same agent and are both viral it means that one can be infected by one
mosquito with the two diseases at the same time (Chen & Wilson, 2010). People should
therefore, focus on ensuring that they protect themselves from mosquito bites. This disease
commonly occur in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and South America. This common mode
of transmission creates a common similarity between the two diseases.
One other similarity between the two diseases is the same symptoms they have. The
world was suffering from confusion in the similarity of signs and symptoms until after an
epidemic that broke out in the 1780s (Carabali, Hernandez, Arauz, Villar,, & Ridde,, 2015). They

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are all characterized by nausea, vomiting, body and joint pain, fever. This signs and symptoms
give a simple classification which is then followed by biological tests to ascertain which of the
two diseases that the patient has.
The two diseases do not have any form of treatment since they are viral. Symptom
management signs are used to ensure that patients do not develop complications that make the
disease more fatal. Quarantine of infected people reduces them for further exposure to
mosquitoes which increases the rate of transmission (Capeding, et al., 2013). However, dengue
patients require specialized care to reduce the risk of the hemorrhagic syndrome. Use of drugs
like aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided on dengue patients to
reduce this risk. The good news with dengue fever is that a vaccine was approved in 2016 which
has since been used in endemic areas.
Another similarity of the two diseases is the prevention strategy used to reduce the
infection cycle. Since they are spread by the same agent, controlling mosquito breeding areas is
the prevention strategy of the two (Caglioti, et al., 2013). This includes use of mosquito
repellents, nets and reducing water pools that act as breeding sites. Therefore, keeping the
environment clean prevents the mosquitoes from infecting people.
However, there are differences between the two diseases that health practitioners use to
easily determine between the two. The differences are normally seen in signs and symptoms that
patients show. One major difference is the nature of rashes that patients who suffer from the two
diseases show. Rashes appear in both situations but a close analysis can differentiate between the
two. Dengue fever patients show rashes that are limited to the face and limbs only while on the

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other hand, Chikungunya rashes are seen on the face limbs, trunk, palms and even feet
(Thiberville, et al., 2013). Therefore. When a clinician suspects a patient to be suffering from any
of the two. The extent of rashes can be used to determine one of them.
Both diseases show joint pain but people with dengue virus exhibit muscle pain on the
back part of their hands and legs. These pains also appear in the knees and shoulders.
Chikungunya patients also show pain around hands and feet but is accompanies with swelling
(Burt, Rolph, Rulli, Mahalingam, & Heise, 2012). This pain is severe in the morning as
compared to the dengue case where the pain is similar all through.
One way to differentiate between the two diseases in clinical situations is the possible
complications that develop with the onset of the diseases. Dengue has been defined by the WHO
as more life threatening due to the severe complications related to it (Carabali, Hernandez,
Arauz, Villar,, & Ridde,, 2015). These include shock breathing difficulties and bleeding if the
patient is not treated. Patients can also show blood in urine or stool and sometimes bleeding
under the skin which looks like bruising. The disease also leads to damage of the lymph and
blood vessels, enlargement of the liver and sometimes failure of the circulatory system which
leads to death. It is regarded as more fatal. Further, it is argued that people with subsequent
dengue infection or weakened immune systems have higher chances of developing dengue
hemorrhage (Chen & Wilson, 2010). However, chikungunya is less fatal with approximately
10% of the infected developing chronic joint infections. Patients with the disease have some
chances of developing neurological complications which rarely occur. This makes the disease
easy to manage and less fatal.

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Lastly, the duration of the two diseases varies since they are not caused by the same virus.
According to Whitehorn & Farrar (2010) dengue disease has an incubation period of three to
seven days with a duration of four to seven weeks before the individual can recover. However,
the severity of the disease can increased the duration beyond seven weeks if the symptoms are
not managed early. On the other hand, the incubation period for chikungunya is one to twelve
days and the duration of the disease is one to weeks (Normile, 2013). The long duration of the
dengue virus and its shorter incubation period makes it more lethal than chikungunya.
From the above discussion, the two diseases are viral borne thus making them to lack
cure. Symptoms can be managed to reduce the duration of the disease and the complications. The
only available option is prevention of further transmissions and reduce the burden of the disease.

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References
Bhatt, S., Gething, P., Brady, O., Messina, J., F. A., M. C., . . . Hay, S. (2013). The global
distribution and burden of dengue. Nature, 496(7), 504-547.
Burt, F. J., Rolph, M. S., Rulli, N. E., Mahalingam, S., & Heise, M. T. (2012). Chikungunya: a
re-emerging virus. The Lancet, 379, 662-671.
Caglioti, C., Lalle, E., Castilletti, C., Carletti, F., Capobianchi, M., & Bordi, L. (2013).
Chikungunya virus infection: an overview. The new microbiologica, 36(3), 211-227.
Capeding, M., Chua, M., Hadinegoro, S., Hussain, I., Nallusamy, R., Pitisuttithum, P., . . .
Wartel, T. (2013). Dengue and other common causes of acute febrile illness in Asia: an
active surveillance study in children. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 7(7).
Carabali, M., Hernandez, L., Arauz, M., V. L., & R. V. (2015). Why are people with dengue
dying? A scoping review of determinants for dengue mortality. BMC Infectious Diseases,
15(301).
Chen, L., & Wilson, M. (2010). Dengue and chikungunya infections in travelers. Current
Opinion in Infectious Diseases, 23(5), 438-444.
Normile, D. (2013). Tropical medicine. Surprising new dengue virus throws a spanner in disease
control efforts. Science, 342.
Thiberville, S.-D., Moyen, N., Dupuis-Maguiraga, L., Nougairede, A., Gould, E. A., Roques, P.,
& de Lamballerie, X. (2013). Chikungunya fever: Epidemiology, clinical syndrome,
pathogenesis and therapy. Antiviral Research, 99(3), 345-370.

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Whitehorn, J., & Farrar, J. (2010). "Dengue. British Medical Bulletin, 96, 161-173.